Heart By Heart
by 225Starburst
Summary: (AU Season 3) Klaus Mikaelson is forced to deal with pressing matters with Dahlia's death and Hayley's curse having been lifted. With the arrival of his former protégé, Lucien Castle, the Original Hybrid is faced with enemies, plotting to destroy his sireline. Elijah is driven to uncover the truth of Gia's death, as Freya is thrown in a dangerous game (Klayley, Frucien, Gilijah)
1. Fantasy After Reality

**I decided to write another Klayley mini-story which is going to be filled with drama and angst this time. The main couples are going to be Klaus & Hayley (naturally), Lucien & Freya (I believe I am the first to write about them as an actual potential pairing so tell me how it works out) and Elijah & Gia. There will be many bumps in the road like Tristan, Aurora, Cami and Jackson. It all takes place in an alternative universe of season 3, after Hayley escaped the curse, Klaus got together with Cami (and she is now a vampire), Gia died (presumably) and Freya does her best to get her family together.**

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 **PLOT: Three months after Hayley's curse was broken, the young Hybrid Queen tries to form a friendship with Freya, the newest member of the Mikaelson family, as well as catch up on what she had missed with Hope and with Jackson. Klaus, in an effort to keep the town safe, turns to Lucien, his former protégé, to discuss the possible return of a past of their own. Meanwhile, Elijah and Marcel grieve Gia's death together, which ends up in Elijah discovering some peculiar about her violin. Finally, Freya is acquainted with her brother's newest partner.**

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Jackson entered his now fully-furnished home with a smile on his face. He had taken the time to buy some take-out for him and for his wife. It had been three months and he still felt as if Hayley had not regained her full strength. She was even more possessive of her daughter and acting as though anyone would take her away from her at any moment. It was his duty, as her husband, to make her feel as good as it was possible. He unlocked the apartment door and as soon as he entered, the wonderful smell of his take-out was replaced by the stench which belonged to the blood, splashed everywhere around the living room. "Hayley!" Jackson called out immediately, setting the take-out on the table and rushing to the bedroom. He was scared of what could have happened to her. But he sighed in relief to see that Hope was fast asleep in her crib, while Hayley was just sitting on the bed, gulping down blood from a jar.

He cleared his throat and Hayley turned around immediately and groaned. "I made a mess in here, haven't I?" Her voice was hoarse and Jackson stepped over, sitting down next to her. "What triggered this?" he whispered to her silently and took the jar away from her. He remembered she had done this once before, exactly three months before, when she was under stress and completely exhausted. How could she not be after she had spent the previous months in wolf form all because of her baby daddy? The very thought of Klaus, made a growl escape Jackson's throat. He then turned his head towards what was sitting on the night table. It was Hayley's phone and it was buzzing. Hayley groaned and grabbed it before Jackson could see the caller ID. "Who is it?" Jackson asked, standing up after her. Hayley rejected the call and showed her husband the phone.

"Klaus? What the hell does he want?" "I don't know. He called for like five times while you were gone. If it has nothing to do with Hope, there is no reason why I would even like to see his face. Hope is staying with me now." "Maybe he wants to see her." Jackson suggested. "Hasn't he had her enough while I was fending for myself in wolf form in the bayou?" Hayley snapped at him and Jackson decided to let it drop, already noticing her eyes starting to turn golden. She hasn't been herself and angering her now, after she drank so much blood, was not Jackson's goal. "So, you're not going to speak to him." He stated. "Why? Do you want me to?" "No! If it were up to me, I never want you to see that son of a bitch again." "But you know that I have to…at some point. The son of a bitch you are referring to is my baby's father." "That doesn't matter. Look, he has done you enough damage. Look at yourself in the mirror."

"I did…believe me, Jack, I don't like what I see. I am a mess. I feel the same way I felt when I had to send Hope away the first time, just a day after she was born. I have lost so much time with my daughter and this second time…it's all because of Klaus." Hayley shrugged and emptied the jar of blood. "I am trying to recover the best way I know and I don't need anyone's help for it. Not even yours." Jackson nodded slowly and ran a hand through his hair. "I brought take-out. I was hoping you would be hungry, but I see that you had enough to eat." Hayley shook her head and closed her eyes, heading over to the bathroom. She spit the blood and washed her face. When she came back, her eyes were no longer golden and she looked almost normal again. In order to make her husband feel better, Hayley even decided to put a smile on her face.

She stepped towards the crib and placed a kiss on Hope's forehead and then turned to Jackson. "Let's have dinner. I don't want to hear any more about Klaus." She whispered. Her phone started buzzing again and Hayley was almost certain that it was Klaus trying to reach her again, but it was a different caller ID this time. It was Freya. Jackson had returned to the living room by now, and was cleaning up the mess she made. "Hello." She said and here was a sigh from the other line. _"It's me."_ Freya responded. "I know. I saw your name." _"Is this a bad time?"_ "I was going to have some dinner with Jackson now, but we can talk if you want." _"I just wanted to know if you're better. You haven't…"_ "...been myself. Yeah, I know. You try being stuck in wolf form for many months without seeing your daughter. There is so much about her I missed."

" _Niklaus has been trying to contact you."_ "I rejected all of his calls because I have nothing to say to him." _"Well, my room is just next to his so you can imagine I heard all of his swearing and his tantrums when you hung up on him."_ Hayley bit her lip and tried to stifle a laugh. Then she remembered that this was absolutely no laughing matter. He hurt her both physically and emotionally and for that, she was never going to forgive him. "Is he still there?" _"Um…no. I think he is planning on going out or something. He talked with someone and said that he was going to meet that guy at Rousseau's."_ "Who?" _"I don't know. I'm going to try and find out because Niklaus has been acting very peculiar lately. He knows something we don't."_ Hayley sighed and drummed her fingers over her legs. "Well, whatever it is, you should try and crack Cami, because I am sure Klaus was eager to tell her all about it." _"That's the thing. I already asked her and she doesn't know anything."_

"She's lying to protect him. That's what she always does." Hayley responded with a scoff. _"That's what I thought too, but I don't think that anymore. Cami would have told me."_ "Look, Freya, if you called me to talk to me about the messed up lives Klaus and Cami have…" _"I called to see if there is anything I can do to help you."_ "You can execute your brother." Freya laughed and replied, _"Anything except that."_ "You can try and jinx him for a change. And I want to see his face of pain when you do so." _"Hayley, nothing ends well with violence and you know that better than I do. My advice is that you should try and reach out to him again."_ "I think that maybe you have twisted your brain cells with one of your spells, Freya. Me?! I am the one who has to reach out to him? Me? After everything that he did to me?!" Hayley was absolutely outraged and refused to hear any more of this nonsense but before she could hang up, Freya insisted, _"It's for the good of your child, Hayley. I have seen visions of your future with Niklaus. I have seen plenty of things…things I am not really allowed to tell you."_

"Why not?" _"Because if I reveal what I saw, both you and my brother are going to try and stop the inevitable and my ancestors have always informed me that it is never good to mess with the destiny of another."_ "Hayley! Dinner?" Jackson called out from the living room and Hayley called back, "I will be right there! Just hold on!" She put the phone back to her ear where Freya was waiting for a response from her. "I think you know as well as I do that I am not the only person Klaus has managed to hurt through his actions." _"Hayley, I am not defending him, but he was just trying to do what was right in his own way. He was…protecting you."_ "Killing Gia and breaking Elijah's heart was also part of the plan?" Freya remained silent for a few moments before saying, _"That's not…I mean…"_

"What? Is it another secret you can't tell me?" Hayley asked her. _"Elijah is suffering. I have seen him suffer and I feel for him, because I see right now very clearly how much he loved Gia and would want her back into his life. She made him happy. She didn't depend on him, like all the people in his life have done before him. He was full of life, and now he is just broken."_ "And that is all because of Klaus. Stop trying to defend him, Freya. He may be your brother and he may have had some good intentions deep, deep, way down…but he screwed up big time. His methods are repulsive and cruel, which is why I don't want to be a part of his plans any longer. I am only here because I have to share my daughter with him. That's it!" _"Okay. Whatever you say. And another thing…"_

Hayley groaned when she saw that even Jackson was getting exasperated. "What? What else is there to know about Klaus?" _"It's about Cami, actually."_ "Really? What about her?" _"I think she would really like to speak to you."_ "Why would she want that?" _"I don't know. I guess she kind of feels sorry for what has happened to you…"_ A laugh escaped Hayley's lips making Freya stop talking. "Really? She feels sorry? Guilty would be more like it. She stood there and watched as Klaus wrecked everything and was too pathetic to let go of her puppy crush on him to make him see reason! And while I was in wolf form, fending for myself and screaming at the top of my lungs for help, she was here…acting like Hope's mother. But if she does have anything important to say to me, she should have the nerve and come here to say it to my face. I don't go to her, okay?"

" _I guess I'll just act like the mailwoman for a while now."_ "I'm not pissed at you, Freya. Don't get the wrong idea." _"No, I know. It's just my habit of trying to get everything and everyone in this family working."_ "Have you talked to Rebekah?" _"Not for a while. The last time we spoke, she was in Malta."_ "What was she doing there, of all places?" _"She's just living her life and avoiding all Mikaelson problems. Surely you can understand."_ "Lucky her. I better go now. Jackson is getting restless." _"Have a good night!"_ "You too, Freya."

…

"What's wrong now?" Cami asked when Klaus entered their bedroom with a snarl. The blonde was sitting on the bed and reading a book. "Nothing." Klaus whispered and bent over to kiss her on the cheek gently, before turning to the balcony. He saw that the lights were on and in a matter of seconds, he could see Hayley and Jackson in their living room, smiling at each other and treating each other with take-out. Cami sighed and closed the book. "I won't be able to help you if you close up on me like that, you know?" Klaus turned to her and said, "It's Hayley. She refuses to take my calls." "And for what reason do you insist on calling her? To make amends?" Cami asked him. "To apologize first." Klaus mumbled and then drew the curtains, furiously, not bearing the image of a perfectly happy little family being observed by him from the corner of his eye any longer.

He turned all of his attention to Cami, who was now standing in front of him and saying, "You didn't do anything wrong. You saved her life. Dahlia would have killed her. She just can't understand that you meant to do good." "Not the way I have done it. I tortured her." "She would have died, Klaus. How would you have felt then? Just trust me, okay? You didn't do anything wrong." She leaned her head on his chest and embraced him gently. "I have." Klaus whispered. There was sadness in his voice but there was also complete anger. If there was one thing he couldn't stand was to have someone ignore him the way Hayley has been doing for the past three months. She could have done anything. Hit him, insult him, scream at him and he would have been more pleased than her ignorance.

"I have somewhere I need to be right now, love. I will see you later, alright?" He kissed her and Cami protested, "But it's nighttime. Where are you going? I thought we were going to do something fun. You need to relieve all of your stress somehow." "I have a meeting with a friend and I cannot cancel it. Don't wait up for me, love." Klaus told her and grabbed his jacket, heading out of the compound. Cami remained, standing in the bedroom and then turned to the windows in order to open the curtains, not understanding why Klaus drew them. Then she saw it. Hayley was holding Hope in her arms, swaying her gently and smiling like only a proud mother would.

…

Klaus opened the door to Rousseau's, where the party was more alive than ever and took a seat at the bar. "What will you be having?" a girl asked him. "A shot of tequila tonight, love." "Rough day?" "You cannot possibly imagine." He drank it all up and then looked over at his phone where a message appeared, _Are you sure I should be showing my face in public?_ Klaus smirked at this text and wrote back. _I thought you said that you had nothing to be afraid of. Hardly anyone knows you here. Stop wasting my time now and get over here. You won't get a better chance as this one._ He sent the text and then ordered himself a bottle of the oldest scotch. The young woman gave it to him at once and before she could turn away, a hand grabbed a hold of her arm and she yelped.

A young man, with a charming grin was standing next to Klaus, saying, "And could you add gin to the tab, please, sweetheart. Thank you!" The girl smiled and asked, "Wait. Are you Lucien Castle?" "I am most certain that you haven't made a mistake." Lucien grinned and took a seat, as the bartender walked away to get the men their order. Klaus chuckled and then turned to Lucien, who was holding out a hand for him to shake. "Long time no see, Niklaus. How's the good life?" "It cannot get any better than this." Klaus mumbled but with a bit of sarcasm in his voice. "Whoa, what's with that attitude? I thought that we agreed to come here on business matters." "That is what we have agreed upon, yes." "And yet we haven't seen each other for a long time, Nik. What's new? How are Elijah and Rebekah?" "Both of them pissed. Rebekah left the city a while back now and Elijah continues to give me death glares whenever he sees me. He doesn't want to have anything to do with me either."

"Well that's a shame! You can be a good guy, but don't try too hard. Speaking of which, I heard that you and your baby mama aren't in that good relations either." Lucien told him and smiled at the bartender when she finally offered them the drinks. "That is a subject I do not wish to include tonight. Save it for another drunken night." "Nah! You have a kid now. She is your priority, don't you think? Drinking the way you do can be one hell of a bad example. But hey what do I know? I'm not a daddy." Lucien smiled and drank up. Klaus watched him seriously and then whispered, "I suggest that you cut the theatrics now and tell me what you're doing here." "These are no theatrics, Nik. Really. I'm worried about you." "Worried about me, huh? May I ask why?"

"You've always been my mentor…from the moment you turned me into a vampire. You have taught me a great deal of things…and now I am here to warn you of people who are coming after you." Klaus chuckled and said, "I have gone through a lot of pain and agony in these past few months, dealing with the deadliest and most powerful witch this world had ever seen…and I defeated her. What makes you think that I won't be able to take on a couple of lackeys coming after me." "Because they were taught and raised by Elijah and Rebekah. They are their lackeys. The first people they turned." Lucien responded and Klaus' smile disappeared. "Oh yes. You guessed it alright. Tristan and Aurora Del Martel. You must remember them."

Klaus continued to stare at Lucien for a moment, dead in his eyes to catch him in a lie, but all he could see was truthfulness. "I know what you're doing. But I promise you that you're not going to find anything on me. I'm not lying here." "Then what exactly are your intentions now that you have arrived in this town. Why come and warn me about them?" "Because I am from your sireline. Even though I respect you as a mentor, I would be lying if I said that I didn't come here in my best interests to protect myself also." "What is it that you know about Tristan and Aurora? What are they up to?" "Well, we did have some sort of strong bond which grew fabulously among the years. We partnered up in many occasions, but then something happened and we parted ways."

"Is that so? And what would tempt Tristan so much as to align with you in any business matters? He has never respected you for eying his precious Aurora all this time." "My feelings for Aurora had passed the moment I caught you with her!" Lucien snapped and eyed his former mentor darkly. "I thought we have moved past that." "Not quite. We have a lot more to catch up on." Lucien insisted. "What Aurora and I shared was something special and I am not going to deny that for your benefit, but I need you to understand something. She doesn't represent any importance to me in the present nor in the future." "And why is that?" "Because she betrayed me the moment she tricked Rebekah into turning her into a vampire." "Shows how you never truly loved her. If you did, you would have accepted her darkness but it was only her light which draw you to her in the first place."

The Original Hybrid was not going to deny any of Lucien's words, as he knew that his former protégé was right about everything, but he wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of knowing that he is right either. Klaus drank up some more of his scotch before saying, "I have moved on, Lucien. I happen to me in a relationship with a very kind and caring woman." "She wouldn't happen to be the blonde therapist of yours, right? Don't look so shocked, by the way, I did my homework before I came. I have a couple of eyes and ears who give me quite some juicy news." "My personal life is not any of your business, Lucien. You came to save your skin by warning me. As ferocious as Tristan and Aurora can be together, I can assure you that there is no way in which they could surprise me well enough to destroy me. They are very much incapable of such an occurrence."

Lucien shook his head and scooted his chair closer to him and lowered his voice. "They grew powerful, Nik." "And you have come here so that I can protect you from them?" Klaus asked with a smirk. "I came here because I thought that we could help each other." "What do they want?" "To destroy your sireline." Lucien explained to him and Klaus looked completely unaffected by this news. "Is that so? And how exactly are they planning on doing that?" "Well, if I knew, then I would have done something about it by now, don't you think? Call me selfish, but you would have done the same thing, had you been in my position." "Excellent point." Klaus responded and finished his drink. "Come with me." He then told Lucien. "What? Why?" "Because I am to assume that the great Lucien Castle doesn't have a place to stay."

"As a matter of fact, I do have a cozy presidential suite reserved for me at the Palace Royale." He commented and Klaus rolled his eyes. "Lucien, I am not playing games. I have just managed to get this town back in order and I intend to keep it that way. If Tristan and Aurora are coming after me, like you suspect they are, then we need to be ready and I could use your help, provided you can prove to me that you are telling the truth." Lucien immediately crossed his fingers over his chest. "Scout's honor, Nik." "Your simple words mean nothing to me for the moment. I do not trust anyone. I need proof." Lucien scoffed. "And what the hell do you want me to do to prove that I am not playing around?"

"I am certain that I myself will find something useful for you to accomplish. Now, as long as you are in my city, you shall be staying at the compound. I can imagine that Elijah will be very pleased to see you." Klaus responded with a smirk. "This is a perfect example of a situation where your sarcasm is not needed, Nik. Have you forgotten the nasty way Elijah and I parted ways? He never liked me. He always held a grudge on you for turning me into a vampire. I have no reason to stay in that compound." "Do not worry. I am certain that there will be at least one person to take a liking to you there."

…

They had buried her body but that still didn't seem enough for Elijah. Without telling Marcel or anyone else, he had regularly visited her grave and had surrounded it with flowers, the ones she always adored to have in a room. He made sure to change those flowers regularly. He would put fresh new ones and whisper to her. He would whisper anything, in hopes that wherever she was…she could hear him calling out for her. He was hoping she would hear him, from wherever she was. Her violin was the one thing that kept him going from the moment he lost her. And Marcel was the only one who truly understood his pain. His next stop after the graveyard, where his darling Gia was buried, was at Marcel's place.

The former King of the city had not accepted Klaus' proposal to move back to the compound and preferred to spend some quiet time alone, until Rebekah would return to him and they could start a new life together. Elijah rubbed his temple with his fingers for a moment before he entered the abandoned warehouse, where Marcel and some of his most trusted and loyal vampires, including young Joshua, were staying. "Elijah!" Marcel called out in surprise and stopped the jazz that was coming from the radio. He could sense him already. "You went there again, didn't you?" Elijah smiled sadly and asked, "How could you have possibly known that? I would have thought that I covered up my tracks."

"Well, not well enough. Klaus may have taught me a lot of things about survival when I was a newbie vampire but you forget that you were the one who taught me all about speculation." "Still, I find it hard to believe that the apprentice can outshine the master." "We will never really know now, will we? Come on! Have a seat and have a drink! I really could use some company today!" Elijah agreed to it, since Marcel ended up being the only person he could really drink with these days. He didn't want to hear a word about his brother, but Marcel always had a way of mentioning him. "Klaus texted me and said he was meeting with someone named Lucien Castle. Do you know him?" Elijah looked up from his drink. For the first time, what Marcel was saying about Klaus actually interested him.

"I happen to know him. Lucien was the first vampire Niklaus ever turned. I couldn't imagine what he could be doing here." "Why? Is he trouble?" "We can never be certain of Lucien's intentions. He can be a backstabber but he can also be of great assistance. You can never know on which side he is, unless you are an expert in deduction." "Like you, right?" "I suppose so. If he truly has decided to show his face around here, I must find out why and when will he leave." He and Marcel stood in more silence. Elijah played with the glass in his hands. Marcel wouldn't even dare to ask him how badly he missed Gia and instead, he stood up and went to the corner where her violin was resting safely. Bringing it over to him, Marcel whispered, "I think that maybe you should have this with you."

Elijah looked at Marcel surprised. "Marcellus, I have already explained to you the reason I brought the violin here in the first place. I don't want it to be associated with the place where I watched her…burn in flames." Elijah could barely speak, thinking of this memory. "Take it. Trust me." Marcel told him and put the violin in his hands. Elijah looked down at it, trying to think of the time when Gia was playing this for him, but then his thoughts were interrupted by a light which shone from the inside of that violin. "What is this?" Elijah asked Marcel. "What is what?" "The light coming from the inside! Can't you see it?" Marcel frowned. "What light?"

…

"Not too shabby!" Lucien whistled as he looked around the compound once he and Klaus entered. Klaus chuckled and said, "It's not much, but it is home. I couldn't imagine a better place where I would live. New Orleans has always been the city of my heart and this is where I plan on raising my daughter." "When do I get to meet your precious girl?" Lucien asked him. "All in due time, Lucien. For now, we have a mater to take care of and Hope happens to be staying with Hayley in the apartment building next door. She doesn't allow any vampires to enter." "Not even you?" "As I said, and as you very well know, Hayley and I are not the best of friends at the moment."

"Nor have you ever been, as I heard. What exactly did you do to her?" Lucien asked him, mischievously. "I saved her life, but in cruelest way you can imagine. That is the matter I do not wish to discuss." Klaus looked away, exhausted and angry as he thought of the little wolf, nuzzled up safe in her new home, with her husband and the daughter she shared with the most notorious being on Earth. He wanted her to have peace. He wanted her to be happy after all he has put her through, but Klaus had always been the selfish man. He wouldn't want her to share her happiness of Hope with anyone other than him. No one! Not even her husband! "Klaus! What's going on?" A blonde stepped downstairs and Lucien grinned. "You must be the fair Camille. How do you do? My name is Lucien Castle. At your service."

Lucien smirked and kissed Cami's hand. "Cold as stone. Vampirism must not suit you very well, Miss. O'Connell." He said to her. Cami frowned but ignored him and turned to Klaus asking him again, "Who is he and what is he doing here?" "That's exactly what I would like to know!" Freya called out from the stairs and stepped down, approaching them. "Ah, dear sister! Come meet Lucien!" Klaus called out. "And who is he?" Freya asked, crossing her hands over her chest. "I could be considered your savior, darling." Lucien responded with a smirk. Klaus ignored his comment and replied, "Lucien is the first vampire I sired. Make him feel welcomed, Freya and I shall inform you of our troubles in the morning! Now, all of you, off to bed! Chop chop!" Klaus clapped his hands together.

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 **A/N: What do you think of a first chapter? Tristan and Aurora will be appearing in New Orleans soon. There will be Klayley interactions in the next chapter, I promise you and lots of investigations from Elijah's part to discover what the violin holds.**

 **Thank you for reading and please leave me reviews!**


	2. Friend Or Rather Foe

**Previously on Heart By Heart, Hayley is shown to have gone through traumatizing situations ever since she escaped the curse Klaus had put her through and Freya has been trying to get her to reconcile with Klaus. Klaus, no longer comforted by Cami's presence, met up with Lucien Castle, his old protégé and the first vampire he ever sired, to warn him by a plot cooked up by Tristan and his sister, Aurora Del Martel. Meanwhile, Elijah and Marcel chose to reminiscence Gia and Elijah discovered something very peculiar about her violin. Finally, Lucien was introduced to Freya and Cami at the compound.**

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 **PLOT: Klaus and Freya have to put up with Lucien's obnoxious behavior at the compound, as Cami pays Hayley and Jackson an unexpected visit. Elijah and Marcel discover the problems Davina has been facing as the Regent of the Witch Community and convince Vincent to look into the violin which once belonged to Gia. Meanwhile, Klaus ends up at Hayley's doorstep, leading to an unpleasant conversation while certain murders start going around the city and Elijah has a clear suspect of who it is. Finally, an unexpected someone arrives to join the mess created by the Original Family.**

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Freya opened her eyes and frowned when she heard the sound of smashing table plates from downstairs. Yawning, she stood up, believing it to be a moment of one of her brother's tantrums again. As soon as she washed, she came back into her room and set down on the carpet to begin her daily yoga session. Even though both her brothers found it unnecessary and potentially annoying, Freya saw it as a better way of relaxation. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath and tried to ignore the sounds coming from downstairs, thinking that Cami would step in and try to groom Klaus again, as she always tried to do when he was mad. Even though she was completely focused on what she was doing, the sounds from downstairs could not be ignored and Freya growled, standing up and heading downstairs with angry footsteps. It was rare that she got angry and when she did, her magic was unleashed.

The sounds were not coming from Klaus' bedroom, not from his art room and not even from Elijah's bedroom. In fact, Freya wasn't sure that Elijah even came home the other night. And she herself was too tired to want to deal with any problems this early in the morning. She knocked on Klaus' bedroom door and when there was no answer, she pushed it open a little to reveal Klaus sleeping on the bed with Cami's arm draped around his waist. Freya rolled her eyes at the image and closed the door again. She had nothing against Cami. She knew that she meant well, but she also knew the secret Klaus kept deep inside of his heart, a secret about his one and only little wolf. Freya was determined to exploit it…but only when the time was right.

Going to the kitchen, she saw that the maids had disappeared and Freya gasped, suddenly remembering their little guest. Going further, she finally noticed him. He was wearing some pajamas Freya recognized as being Elijah's, due to the unique fabric. Lucien was rummaging through drawers looking for something and not even caring if he dropped anything to the ground and made some noise. But he did feel her behind him at once. She may be an immortal witch, but he was a vampire, with strong senses. Turning around with a sly smirk, he crossed his hands over his chest and leaned against the wall to inspect her. "Well, I bid you good morning, fair lady. What did you say your name was again?" "With a little luck, you will be out of here before you get a chance to memorize my name." Freya snapped and Lucien chuckled. "The girl has passion, spunk and fire. I like that." "Remind me when I actually stated that I cared about anything that you like."

"We have only just met, love. Get to know me a little before you start pointing fingers. Now, what may I do for you?" Lucien asked her. "I was pretty busy up there and there are some other people in this compound who are still trying to sleep, so can't you be a little more considerate?" "I could…but you would have to beg." "That's not an answer." "It is in my book. It's morning, darling. People should be up and about in no time." "Where are the maids and the cooks?" "Oh, I don't know. They must have fled when I came in." "And why would they do that? They know about the vampires who live here?" "Yes, but none of them had ever been threatened with their sharp teeth, I suppose, right?" "You scared them away? Are you out of your mind?!" Freya asked, getting angrier and angrier. The magic was filling up inside of her and she hoped that she would get a chance to skin this vampire alive.

"Take it easy, lovely Freya. My sense of humor is rich, but you'll get used to it in time." "Ah, so you do remember my name!" She pointed out. "Yes, you got me. I was just trying to make conversation. Besides, how could anyone not remember a lovely name such as the one which belongs to you?" "Your lack of adjectives in your vocabulary doesn't make it easy for you to flirt." Lucien frowned and then said, "I have been around for almost 1000 years, love." "So have I. We'll call it even then." Sighing, they remained in silence as Lucien turned back around and started looking through the drawers again. "What are you looking for?" Freya demanded. "The maple syrup." "We don't have that." Lucien turned around with a look of skepticism.

"It is a joke, isn't it?" That comment actually made Freya smile a little as she shook her head. "No. It's not. The human food is limited. All the people who live here are immortal, in case you haven't noticed." "But you don't have maple syrup? How can you not have maple syrup?" Freya groaned and closed her eyes. "Are you doing this so you can try and get on my nerves again? If you want this maple syrup so badly, why don't you just go out and get some. Oh wait…no…because you know why?" Freya whispered the last part and got closer to him, drumming her fingers on his chest. "Because I suspect that you're lying and are looking for something else. What is it?" Lucien grinned at her and grabbed a hold of her hand saying, "That is for me to know and for you to find out, sweetheart."

"What the bloody hell is going on in here?" Klaus asked from the doorway as Freya took a few steps back from Lucien. Cami also appeared, with a bathrobe on. "You guys realize that it's like 6 AM, right?" she asked. "Don't look at me, brother. I was not out here, rummaging the kitchens for something and scaring away the staff. It was your buddy who did all of those things." Lucien's smile disappeared and he put a hand over his heart in shock. "I cannot believe that you would accuse me of such a thing. I clearly told you that maple syrup is something considered very important to me. I cannot have my pancakes without it." Freya smiled and replied, "Sure. Whatever you say. I am going back to my room. Keep an eye on him, Niklaus."

As soon as Freya was gone, Lucien looked at Klaus and said, "You know, I think I prefer your other sister, Rebekah so much better." "Unfortunately, you will be dealing with Freya frequently if we are to discover the location of Tristan and Aurora." Klaus informed him. "Wait! What's going on? Who are Tristan and Aurora?" Cami asked, surprised. Klaus sighed, turned around and whispered, "Why don't you go back to bed, love? I will come back in a moment." "You don't want to tell me or what?" "I simply do not wish to burden you with such problems." "Klaus, I'm a vampire now. I think I can handle mass murders. I handled it when I was human too." "Lucien and I are getting into a matter which is much more personal, let's put it that way. Let us be for now, please and when I see it fit, I shall inform you of what is going on." Cami looked surprised at his unwillingness to tell her. Looking over at Lucien, who had a grin on his face, she turned around and rushed back to the room. "Damn, you are so not getting laid after this one!" Lucien pointed out and Klaus growled, "Can you not start?"

"Why shouldn't I start? You know…as much as I hate to admit it, I realize that you really felt something for Aurora back in the days and I could really see it in your eyes. But the way you look at the pretty blonde over there, did not look like much love to me." Lucien commented and grabbed a carrot from the table and started chewing on it. "I would appreciate you to mind your manners. Cami is not in the discussion pile." "Why? You don't want to admit it to be true or what?" "Aurora and Cami are two different women. I do not tend to compare them as you have. But I do happen to have had affections for Aurora, as I have affections for Cami now." "Sure, whatever you say, Nik. Now tell me…would it be a proper moment for me to visit your child and her exquisite mother, as I have heard?" The look in Klaus' eyes darkened as he stepped forward with a growl.

"What makes you think that you are anywhere near being trustworthy enough to be around my daughter?" he asked in a whisper and Lucien shook his head. "There is no need for such a grudge to be held against me, Nik. You practically raised me from day one as a vampire. Have a little faith that I am not here to double-cross you, but like I said, that doesn't mean that I am not looking out for my best interests. I am here to help and we can start with this." Lucien searched through his pockets and held out a pendant for Klaus. The hybrid took it in his hands and looked it over. "What is this?" "It belonged to Aurora. I stole it from her the day we parted ways." "And why would you steal it from her?" "Because it means something to her. I could see it in her eyes. She always looked after it. And when she didn't expect it, I snatched it from her."

"You said that she always looked after it, so how did you manage to take it from her without her suspecting it?" "I did the only thing I could do to surprise her and cut her ties with reality. I professed my love for her and kissed her. Tristan was watching, unfortunately and that led to the breakup of our little gang which by the way…it was a gang you, Elijah and Rebekah created. You used us so you can send your father on a wrong path. I never received an apology for that, have I?" Klaus inspected the pendant and whispered, "You shall receive an apology but only once you have proven yourself. Now, show me what you think is so special about this pendant and how you believe it is going to help us find Tristan and Aurora, or I shall begin to doubt your loyalty." Klaus smirked, once he saw the disrupted look on Lucien's face. "Well for that my friend…we need a witch."

…

"Come on, Elijah! What the hell are you on about?" Marcel asked him as Elijah guided him through the Lafayette Cemetery. "I saw something. And this…this needs to be inspected." Elijah whispered as he hurried up but Marcel caught him and held him still by his shoulders, saying, "Hey, look! I know that you're suffering. You loved Gia and you still love her. Believe me that I get you, but you are going down a wrong road, man. You are having delusions…" "I am not! There is something about this violin, Marcellus and I am going to get to the bottom of it this instant!" "And who are you planning to speak to about this? Davina? She is not interested in getting in any vampire business. I barely convinced her to help me with Hayley's curse, Elijah."

"We have to try. Gia was a victim, a victim of my brother's and Davina may relate to that. I need to find out the truth. Maybe this is a message Gia has left for me. Maybe…" "Maybe what?" "Have you ever considered that this violin has been enchanted?" Marcel stared at him and then slowly, a smile appeared on his face but it was a smile of sadness. "Elijah, you are cracking up, my friend. I am sure that it is nothing. You just miss her. I miss her too, but I'm not interested in going around with theories that Gia may have left a message for me through that violin. I mean come on…" "Marcellus, no one if forcing you to be here. I will figure out what this is all about, and I suggest that you accompany me, but under no circumstances will you continue to deprive me of what I believe. Yes, I am in pain, and it may cloud my judgement, but I am not blind. There is something about this violin. I have seen it and I will find out what is going on."

Marcel sighed and eventually nodded, deciding to take his word for it, because Elijah had never been seen as a fool before or even a delusional person. He always had his reason and perhaps, he was right this time as well. As soon as they stepped into the cemetery, their eyes wondered over to the riots going on. The witches and warlocks of the coven were protesting and Davina was standing on a pedestal with tears in her eyes. Vincent was standing with her, but he did not seem in any way trying to comfort her. "You shall renounce your claim as Regent of this Coven!" he exclaimed. Marcel was prepared to step forward but Elijah stopped him at once. They watched as Davina took the walk of shame, with the witches and warlocks turning their backs on her. She took a deep breath as she stepped towards the exit and she saw Marcel standing there.

"D, what happened?" Marcel breathed out and Davina led out a strong sob, ending up in his arms and burying her head into his chest. "I…I…" But she couldn't speak anymore, as she was crying. Marcel shushed her and growled to Elijah, "I'm going to kill that guy. He was supposed to protect her." They both looked at Vincent, who had regret in his eyes as he watched Davina cry from afar. "We shall discuss Davina's matter later, Marcellus but at the moment, it would seem that Vincent can be the one who can offer me an explanation about the violin. Tend to Davina and I shall go speak to him." "I need to speak to him right now about other matters!" Marcel growled as he held Davina close to him. She may be a powerful witch but in his eyes, she was still the lonely little girl he had rescued. She had always been the child Marcel never had.

Elijah was prepared to tame Marcel but at that moment, Vincent stepped over to them. He did not look pleased with the sight. "Davina needs to be escorted away from here. I am taking the position as Regent and she is no longer to be a part of this coven." He told them sincerely. "I ASKED YOU TO HELP HER!" Marcel roared and charged at him but Vincent's hands shot up and he used his magic to make Marcel get down on his knees in pain. "No! I will leave! Let him go, Vincent!" Davina exclaimed through tears and helped Marcel to his feet. Vincent turned to Elijah and whispered, "What I did was for her own good. She will understand why I did what I did soon enough." Elijah nodded and said, "I'm afraid that Davina's problems are not the reason I am here at the moment." "Is that so? Then why are you here?" Vincent asked and Elijah immediately put Gia's violin in his hands.

"Someone has been tampering with it and I want to know why. Furthermore, an identification of this person will be greatly appreciated by me." Elijah replied; swiftly and watched as Marcel and Davina slowly departed the cemetery together. The witches had gone back to whatever it is that they were doing and Vincent was inspecting the violin carefully. "Just by feeling it for a few seconds…it is clear that it has been touched by magic. What I want to know is what I get out of this if it turns out that my information will be of use to you." Elijah smiled for a moment and told him, "I will personally make sure that Marcel and or no one else will disturb your reign here. What you have done to Davina was despicable…" "No, Elijah. Don't look at me like the enemy, alright? I'm the good guy here and not the bad one."

"Do find a way to forgive me if I am not being one hundred percent convinced by that." "I heard that someone was threatening her life. She could have no longer have held the position of Regent because it would have destroyed her. She would have had a lot of burden on her shoulders. Marcel came to me and asked me to help her and so I did." "The violin, Vincent. I need information about the violin and I will personally make sure that no one interferes in your plans here from this day forward. It's a deal I suggest you take." They eyed each other darkly for a few moments and Vincent eventually caved. "Fine. Follow me and we'll get to the bottom of this."

They entered one of the caves situated in the Lafayette Cemetery and Vincent placed the violin on a humongous stone, inspecting it. "It belonged to Gia." Elijah stated and his voice was a bit hoarse at the mention of her name. He was passing these days with difficulty, knowing that it would get even harder for him eventually. Not having Gia in his life anymore seemed incredibly surreal. She was a person who deserved the gift of everlasting life which she had been offered. She cared for him…looked after him and his needs…and he had looked after her. He could have had a future with her. Art, music…literature. All of that interested her greatly and she would have been his perfect match.

But as always, Elijah had his brother making things difficult in his life. He wished that somehow he could detach himself from reality, to be with Gia and leave his brother behind. He felt like he was giving up on him, as he should. Klaus couldn't be redeemed. It became clear to Elijah of this Impossibility. "Let us get to work then." Vincent whispered and started sprinkling some salt on the cords of the violin and mumbled in Latin. Elijah didn't care what he was doing, as long as he would end up giving him the answers he wanted. They went on like this for at least an hour, before Vincent finally claimed, "Her soul is trapped between worlds. Someone has trapped her for a reason."

…

"Jackson, can you get the door please?" Hayley asked as she was sitting with Hope on her rocking chair, trying to feed her that morning. She sighed when Jackson didn't answer and figured that he was still in the shower. The doorbell rang again and Hayley called out, "I'm coming!" She held Hope tightly to her chest and went towards the door, opening it. The smile on her face disappeared when she saw Cami standing there, playing with her fingers. "Hey, is this a bad time for you guys?" "What do you want?" Hayley demanded at once. Cami bit her lip and asked, "Can I come in?" "Sorry but I already said that no vampire is allowed to enter. No one." "Hayley, listen. I know that you're mad at me but we have to talk this out. I am with Klaus now and technically…I'm a part of the family." Hayley' raised an eyebrow at her comment.

"You think that being Klaus' bedmate makes you family?" she snapped a bit angrily and Cami frowned, "You don't have to act like such a bitch to me. You know that I had no power to change anything while you were cursed. Klaus wouldn't listen to anyone." "But you didn't even try to convince him, did you? You figured that this was your chance to get closer to him…to get closer to Hope so you can move into this twisted family, right? You didn't even confront him about Gia! Do you know that he killed her? Do you know what that did to Elijah?" Cami remained silent at the door as Jackson stepped over, fully showered and dressed. "Hey! Have I interrupted something?" "No. Cami was just leaving." "I am not leaving, Hayley. We have to talk this out." Hayley stared at her and then handed Hope over to Jackson. "Get her ready to start the day and give me a minute, okay?"

Jackson complied and took Hope away, as Hayley stepped outside and crossed her hands over her chest. "I am a mother who has lost a lot of precious and important time from her daughter's life and you are responsible for that. You cannot possibly know what it is like to be a mother and have your child being ripped away from your arms so many times after you held it in your womb and you felt it grow inside of you, after you gave that child life…you can't know and you will never know. As far as I am concerned, you are a person partially responsible for what happened and I don't want to have anything to do with you so stay the hell away from me!" Cami was left with her mouth hanging open as Hayley slammed the door in her face.

"What happened?" Jackson asked her when Hayley entered their bedroom. "Nothing. I just told her off." "Maybe she was just trying to make amends." "No. She was here pretending to act like the innocent victim that she always claims she is, to get on everyone's good side and make me look like the bad guy for not accepting her apology. That is what she was doing here!" Hayley snapped. "You could have accepted her apology then and I am certain that it would have ruined your plans completely of making you look like the bad guy, don't you think?" "It would have, but just to make it clear, I do not do anything to please someone I despise. She owes me a lot more than a simple apology!"

Hayley had been under complete stress all day and Cami's visit had made it even harder for her to focus on more important aspects. She tried calling Freya again but she didn't answer. Exasperated, she called Rebekah and when that Original Sister didn't answer her phone either, Hayley was sure that something was going on. Certain that Freya was looking into whatever was wrong, Hayley ended up taking a warm shower to calm her nerves. Jackson was out with Hope to get her some fresh air. When she came out of the shower, Hayley groaned as the doorbell rang again. It was a great possibility that it was Cami again. She put on her robe and then walked to the door, ready to tell her off.

But the image in front of her eyes was not the one she was expecting. "Hayley, love…" He began saying but she cut him off by slamming the door in his face. There was a moment of pause and she didn't move away from the door and neither did he. "Hayley, open the door this instant." Klaus asked her, calmly at first. "As I remember well, this is my home, not yours. I can do whatever the hell I want…and you have a lot of nerve coming here! What do you want?" "I want…" he started saying but he stopped when she opened the door again and stared at him angrily. "If you're looking for Hope, you've wasted your time. She is out with Jackson and they won't be back home till later." Klaus continued to look into her eyes and his own softened. He could see that she was still traumatized by the pain he caused her. He couldn't change the past, but he could try to make the future better for her. "Your precious Cami was here earlier. And she had that exact same innocent look on her face. I told her to take a hike with her fake apology and not show her face around here again." Hayley suddenly told him, hoping to get a reaction from him.

There was none. Klaus continued to stare deeply into her eyes and he didn't say a word. Hayley raised an eyebrow and asked, "Wow, not even going to defend your pure angel bedmate? Are you sure you're alright?" Klaus sighed and got closer until they were inches apart. "What must I do to receive your forgiveness?" "You won't get it whatever you do." "I do not believe that you want to continue being mad at me, love." Hayley laughed. "You have it all wrong then, because I do want to be mad at you! I hate you!" "You hate what I have done to you. You are right, love. I went overboard. I cursed you to make sure Dahlia didn't kill you and then I kept you cursed…I kept you cursed because I detest the loyalty you have for your husband and not to me, when I am your child's father! I know what is best for her! She is my own flesh and blood and you decided to run away with your lackey!"

Hayley listened to him carefully. She couldn't believe that they were having this conversation now. Her voice reduced to a whisper as she non-expectantly poured her feelings of the situation to him. "I ran because I was scared that you were unable to defeat Dahlia. She won all the battles!" "But she lost the war!" Klaus argued at once and Hayley closed her mouth. "I'm sorry for running…I'm sorry for not fighting when the time was right…but what you did to me, is unforgivable and it was a punishment no wolf should ever receive. You don't know what it's like to turn in wolf form. That hasn't happened to you in 1000 years from now. You don't know the pain and torture you go through every day. You get angry, you starve, and you sleep in the bitter cold…" He remained silent, hearing her words. Then, when he saw that she had tears in her eyes which were threatening to fall, he renounced on his pride and cupped her cheek.

"For whatever I have done to hurt you…I will make amends. All I ask is that you offer me the chance to do so, little wolf. Do not push me away. Let me offer you the comfort I wished to offer you for a very long time. Let me make things right. It has been months…and I wish to watch the growth of our daughter with you…not alone." Hayley couldn't help but lean into his warm touch, just like the day they argued about her possible marriage to Jackson, in the bayou. But she knew that a warm touch from the man she always wanted to be kind and gentle with her…and a few moving words…it was not enough for her to just accept the past as the past. He made her suffer…he had to suffer too.

She pulled back and he frowned slightly as he watched her cross her hands over her chest protectively and look at him in the eyes. "This may have worked with other girls, Klaus…but you are in no way ending all the problems you have with me by letting go of a few gentle words and touching me the way you are. What's more…it makes you look pathetic." The words stung him like a bee would and normally, he would have been angry that someone would dare speak to him that way, but he knew Hayley and he knew that she was right. He couldn't win her back that easily. "Forgive me." Was all he could muster up to say and left her apartment door in complete confusion of what he should do now. What could possibly convince her to give him another chance?

…

"Freya!" Klaus called out as soon as he made his way back to the compound. Freya came out of her room and stared at him. "What happened now? Someone hurt your ego? Could it be Hayley?" There was a smirk on her face, but Klaus was not amused. He stepped closer to her and whispered, "You are the only witch I trust. I hope you know that." "I am your sister and I am practically forced by family bonds to help you. So what do you need, brother?" she asked him. "I need you to inspect this pendant." Klaus pulled it out of his pocket and gave it to her. Freya stared at it and nodded. "Inspect it? In what way is that?"

"Find out what it contains…if it contains something important…something which perhaps binds it to Aurora Del Martel." He informed her. "Who is she?" Freya asked, concerned that her brother had gotten himself in some more mischief. "She is an old lover and according to our dear friend, Lucien…she and her brother are coming after me, to destroy my sireline." "Why would they want to do that?" "Apparently, Lucien has just informed me of a little trouble he had with them." "So because of him, they are coming after all of us?" "No…they want revenge…Tristan for me getting in a relationship with his sister and destroying his life. Aurora…wants to come at me for the way I turned my back on her."

The doors to the compound opened and Elijah and Marcel walked inside at once. "Freya, where is Lucien?" Elijah demanded to know at once. Klaus sighed, seeing that his brother was once again avoiding his gaze and pretending as though he were not there. "He left to get himself some maple syrup for his pancakes in the morning." Freya grumbled, in an annoyed tone as she remembered the show which went on from that morning. "Five humans have been murdered. The police are investigating it." "And what exactly are you suggesting? That Lucien has been behind it?" Klaus asked but Elijah didn't answer him. "He might be. Where is he now?" Freya stamped her foot. "I shouldn't have let him out of my sigh." She claimed. At that moment, her phone started ringing.

The caller ID, made Freya want to answer it at once. "Rebekah?" _"Hey! Would you mind telling me what the bloody hell is going on here? I've been gone for only a little while and now that I come back, there are bodies on the streets."_ "You've come home?" _"Of course. Always and forever, isn't that right?"_

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 **A/N: This chapter was longer than expected. Tell me what you thought of Klayley confrontation and the Freucien banter in the morning. I really have no idea where this is going but I'll get some more ideas on the way. Do you think Lucien is out to kill?**

 **Thank you for reading and please leave me reviews!**


	3. The Prince In The Castle

**In the previous chapter, Lucien had been creating trouble for the Mikaelson family at the compound, while Cami and Hayley had a very heated conversation, with Jackson and Hope witnessing it. Elijah and Marcel had found out something strange going on with Gia's old violin and had taken it to Vincent in hopes that he would be the one to reveal secrets. Davina had been excluded from the coven. Afterwards, Klaus and Hayley had their first confrontation after which Elijah started suspecting Lucien of some murders going around and finally, Rebekah made her appearance in New Orleans.**

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 **PLOT: Enraged by the troubles created by Lucien Castle, Elijah asks his sister Freya to get some answers, using the worst methods possible. Klaus is pleased with his sister's return and he intends on talking to her about the Mikaelson issues while she is more interested in his relationships with both Hayley and Camille. While Freya and Lucien have their own personal conversation, Klaus receives a message from the bayou, which makes him concerned for Hayley's safety. At last, Klaus makes a proposition which Hayley accepts and Klaus finds himself somewhere he never thought he would be that night.**

* * *

The doors to the compound opened and there were plenty of silent whispers going around between the vampires. A laugh escaped Lucien Castle's lips as he was accompanied by many pretty ladies, who were dying to have his attention. Two blondes and one brunette. "Lucien." Elijah growled as Marcel crossed his arms over his chest, disapproving of this vampire greatly. Freya sighed and pursed her lips. A sudden urge to rip Lucien's head off overtook her, but if she were to think about this from his point of view…he was probably just trying to relax and have some fun. She turned to see Elijah looking at her sternly. "What?" she asked him in a whisper. "I have had enough of this young man. I do not care if Niklaus believes that he is important for our case, but he has gone too far this time."

"Ladies, ladies, please! I welcome you to my humble home!" Lucien exclaimed to them, dumping the last few gulps from the bottle of scotch he was holding, down his throat. The girls all sighed in pleasure and looked all too eager to touch him more. Klaus cleared his throat, somewhat amused by what he was seeing and stepped over to his young protégé. "Lucien, I believe that my brother and I would have something serious to discuss with you. If you would agree to leave the company of your lovely ladies here…we can get down to business, wouldn't you say?" With that, Klaus took the bottle from his hands and placed it on a nearby table.

"He's too drunk, brother." Freya whispered to Klaus and he chuckled. "No, dear sister, he is not. If you would have known him as well as I do…you would have been able to tell the difference between a drunken Lucien and a Lucien who does not wish to get himself into more trouble than he already has. So…" Klaus sped forward and glared into Lucien's eyes, this time more serious. "I do not believe that I either one of us are in a mood of celebration, what with all the killings surrounding my city just days after your arrival. Tell these women to leave us or I shall slit their throats, Lucien." He warned him. The smile on Lucien's face immediately disappeared when he saw that Klaus Mikaelson was not playing around. Sighing, he turned to the women and compelled them one by one for each of them to be on their way and forget that their meeting ever happened. As soon as they left, Lucien sighed and turned towards Klaus, Freya, Elijah and Marcel who were all glaring at him. "You know…I don't really appreciate you denying my rights on these lovely ladies, Nik."

"I would simply need a clarification as to where you have been the other night up to this morning." Klaus whispered and Lucien smirked. "I was out partying of course, getting a bit of the good life I missed here in New Orleans. Good drinks and pretty ladies." Klaus nodded and Elijah looked outraged at what looked like his brother was buying that story. He took a few steps forward towards Lucien and stated, "Then I supposed that you have no idea what has been happening, do you?" "What has been happening?" Lucien asked with a sigh. "Five innocent people were murdered." "And you think that I'm behind it?" Lucien came to that conclusion at once. His eyes then met Freya's, who was glaring at him non-stop. "Elijah, I think you might need a little more proof to that accusation you're making. I have told you my alibi. I am not responsible for those killings. I have no reason to…"

"That remains to be seen." Elijah whispered and glared at him continuously. Lucien turned his head towards Klaus, who was observing both of them carefully. "Come on, Nik! Just tell your noble stag of a brother here to back off, will you? You know that I didn't kill those people? Why would I? I am here with a purpose, remember? Why attract negative attention to myself when I need you as an ally more than ever? We need each other! Do you really think that I would do anything to jeopardize our friendship?" Clearing his throat, Klaus whispered, "Lucien, for the moment I do not trust you completely, therefore I cannot possible consider you my friend, only an ally. But if my siblings believe that you should be considered a suspect in this matter…let them look into this matter more closely. After all, you have nothing to hide, do you?"

Lucien smirked and before he could respond, Freya had already started chanting her spell in Latin and he dropped down on his knees, holding his head in pain. "Take him to your room and find out everything he knows! Immediately!" Elijah informed Freya and she nodded, indicating for Marcel to help her out. As the spell reached its peak, Lucien collapsed onto the ground and Marcel immediately picked him up, taking him to Freya's room for questioning. Elijah turned to his brother and asked, "You truly believe in his innocence?" "Why not? It is as he claims…he has come here in peace and for his own protection. Why would he turn his back on us now?"

…

Hours later, the Mikaelson brothers were still waiting downstairs, listening to the torturing yells coming from upstairs in Freya's room. The doors to the compound opened again and this time, the vampires all gasped. "Rebekah." Klaus let out a whisper, as he watched his baby sister from the distance. She was finally there before them and Niklaus Mikaelson wasted no time in rushing forward and pulling her into a tight hug. She had been the constant woman in his life for centuries and to have her beside him like that again…it felt all the right in the world. Rebekah smiled and swayed with him gently before pulling back, kissing her brother's cheek and then she turned towards Elijah, who was waiting for a hug too.

"I told you both that I would return and I have. I bloody missed you, Nik!" Rebekah exclaimed, joyful that she was seeing her brother once again. The sounds coming from Lucien's mouth upstairs could not be ignored and Rebekah frowned. "Unbelievable. I just came back and there is a riot going on up there, one which I don't know about? Where is Freya?" "Have a seat, dearest sister, we have much to discuss." Elijah told her and as soon as Rebekah got a drink, she was informed of everything that had happened since she had left. The curse on Hayley and her pack, Camille's transformation into a vampire, Lucien's unexplainable fear of Tristan and Lucien De Martel, their former allies. "According to Lucien…they are after me. They wish to destroy my sire line and hence destroy Lucien himself." Klaus explained.

Rebekah scoffed and whispered, "Then why not just kill the bastard yourself and spare them the trouble of having to come here and destroy your link to the other vampires sired to you?" Klaus opened his mouth to speak but there were no words coming out and Elijah slowly shook his head in disappointment. "I believe that is because our brother is suddenly very fond of dear Lucien. He is of course the first immortal being Niklaus has ever created so naturally, he would feel a pull. However, I also sired Tristan De Martel, something I am not entirely pleased about. And for that reason, I believe it is time we break our bonds with the past." They remained in silence for a couple of moments before Elijah sighed and stood up, reaching for his phone. "I do have some matters I need to look into. Which is why I better call Hayley…"

"Why?" Klaus immediately snapped and both Elijah and Rebekah looked at him, surprised. "I need some information she can provide me with from the bayou. I heard that she is going there today. What seems to be the problem, brother?" Elijah asked him, raising his eyebrows. "She is in need of rest and I am certain that she doesn't need any indications from you now that she tries to connect with her pack once more." Klaus tried explaining the best way possible but Elijah and Rebekah were still glancing at one another. "Maybe you can get through to him." Elijah whispered to Rebekah before leaving the compound. The Original sister was looking at her brother and observing his movements closely. "Has something happened between you and Hayley while I was away?" she asked all of a sudden.

The look in Klaus' eyes changed and he looked even more angered that she would dare ask such a question. "What would ever make you believe so, sister?" he asked her, quietly. "I know you care for her, Nik and what you did to her was beyond cruel." "She was going to take my child away from me and you know that." "I am sorry that she was thinking of doing that, but I don't think that she would have gone all the way, even if Jackson was influencing her. She wouldn't have. Trust me." "If you believe so…" "I simply want to know if your relationship has progressed in any way because you do show more concern for her now." "Of course I do. Guilt is all I feel." Klaus stood up and avoided Rebekah's gaze, knowing that he would spill even his most hidden and darkened emotions and secrets just by looking into her eyes.

"What about you and Cami? You're finally together now. How does it feel to have her by your side? Are you happy?" She tried to change the subject to something that maybe her brother found more relaxing and more comfortable speaking about but she was surprised when she realized that was not the case. "Camille has been dealing with plenty of complications now as a vampire. I've been trying to help her." "And? Any improvement?" Rebekah asked. Klaus played with the glass of wine in his hands and nodded. "I believe she will be fine." "Okay…I can see that your mind is on something else completely so I am just going to see what Freya is…" "No." Klaus mumbled. "What? Why?" "Freya needs to deal with Lucien all on her own for now. I do not believe he is guilty. After all, he did bring me Aurora's pendant for inspection. However…I am inclined to believe that he is still hiding something from me. And if anyone is capable of getting anything out of his mouth…it is Freya." Klaus explained.

…

Jackson wanted to come with her and support her in this moment, when she was called to the bayou, but Hayley refused. After all, someone had to be looking after Hope and he was her husband. "Hayley…" "Look, I just received news that a mother from my own pack has a sick child about to die. I am going to see what is happening. I am Queen and I will figure this out on my own, okay?" Jackson just looked at her for one moment, kissed her cheek and then he went into the nursery to check on Hope. Hayley immediately left the apartment and rushed to the bayou. She hadn't been there since the curse had been lifted and of course, she wouldn't know how to react in front of the people who had always believed in her and taken care of her.

Hayley could even say that she felt ashamed…ashamed that she was living in a good apartment in the heart of the city, when she was supposed to be in the bayou right now, acting like the true leader of the pack. And Jackson belonged there even more than she did. Jackson was a good man who cared about his pack and he deserved to be there, and look out for them and be their alpha. All of these thoughts were racing in Hayley's mind and as soon as she reached the bayou, she heard the wailing of a young woman, near the cottages. She covered her mouth in shock as she saw her…she was lying on the ground and holding her dead child in her hands.

"SOMEBODY HELP ME!" she yelled out and cried but it was all too late. The child was breathless. The mother was soon enough surrounded by each and every wolf, trying to comfort her or get her away from the child in order to inspect the body for any clues as to what might have happened. Hayley immediately took on the role as Queen, as the Mother of the pack and she called out, "Step aside!" The wolves all turned around to look at her. Some of them were surprised and the others were outraged by her presence. The only one pleased that she was there was the mother who had called, desperate for the Queen of her pack to save her child. Hayley bent down to investigate the body, hoping and praying that there was a chance for him to still be alive.

But that chance disappeared at once when she realized that he no longer had a pulse. Taking a deep breath, Hayley shook her head and tried to say something but the mother was looking at her with those glistering tears in her eyes, while the wolves were giving disapproving stares. "I would have done anything. I would have used my blood to turn him if I had the chance but he is gone. I am so sorry. Please, forgive me." Hayley pulled the weeping mother into her arms and whispered in her ear, "I promise you that we will find whoever has done this…and that person will pay with his life." "He was poisoned! Perhaps even by the Hybrid you keep supporting! He has terrorized us and tortured us and still…you are living there with him…you don't care about us!" one wolf claimed.

Some others agreed with him at once and Hayley frowned, at hearing such a thing. "No." she whispered. "No! You will not dare say such a thing, do you understand me? You will not dare! And do you want to know why you will not dare?! Because I am here for you all! But you must also remember that I have a daughter of my own that I need to care for and I need to protect and that daughter happens to belong to the Hybrid you speak of, not only me. For the record, I happen to be a hybrid too! I am your Queen, still and I am here to protect you because I care for you! I am sorry for what happened today! My apologies will not change anything but I will find out what happened! And once I do find out, I will make sure that Klaus Mikaelson himself avenges you, just as I will avenge this boy's death!" The wolves still continued shaking their heads.

"Klaus Mikaelson is not one of us and he never will be. And if you continue to stand by his side, then maybe you don't deserve to be our Queen at all!" the wolf spat and Hayley sped forward grabbing this wolf by his throat and throwing him to the ground. Her foot was at his neck in seconds, but was not preventing him to breathe. "I do not want to hurt you and I won't! But you will never ever dare speak to me like that again! Learn your place! I am your Queen by birthright and I will continue to be a Queen to you and to everyone else. I will carry the burden on my shoulders. But I cannot fight for this pack alone! You all have to fight with me and if you do…we will succeed!" Hayley pulled back her foot and then lay back on the ground, next to the body of the boy.

The mother was now taking deep breaths and trying to calm her sobs, but it was very difficult to do so. Hayley leaned her head on her own and whispered, "I will do everything in my power to help you." "Please…you need to protect us, my lady. We are all in grave danger. My boy was young and his death is a warning. He was poisoned, but I don't know how and why. If this Klaus Mikaelson really wants to help us…and you believe that he wants to protect us even after cursing us the way he has…then please encourage him to help us." Hayley smiled sadly and nodded, but before she could answer, a loud explosion could be heard…and everything went dark.

…

"AAAARGH!" Lucien yelled out as Freya sat on his knee and applied even more torture to his brain. She sighed and closed her eyes. She hated doing this, but she knew she had to. "Had enough?" she asked him gently and Lucien grunted, a frown appearing on his face as he looked at her. Freya was surprised to see that now, for the first time, he was serious and was not trying to flirt with her. "No more charms to lay on me?" she asked him and he growled, "I am not responsible for those killings, God damn you!" He then tried struggling against the ropes which tied him to the chair but realized that they were filled with vervain, which was making it impossible for him to move or he would burn. Freya stood up from the chair and said, "Elijah thinks that you are guilty of keeping something from us and so does Marcel."

"And Nik does not. He knows I am innocent because he understands my purpose here better than that goody-two-shoes brother of yours. Nik gets me, something you will never be able to." "Look, you were gone all night and the five humans were killed last night. You are the number one suspect, seeing as you're new in town and your record is not exactly clean. So how can you prove to me that you didn't do it?" she asked him and Lucien let out a smile and a laugh. "Just ask the freaking bartender at Rousseau's for God's sake and he will tell you that he saw me there the whole night partying with those girls." "And how do I know that you didn't compel that bartender to lie for you."

"What? You think that as drunk as I was, I would have had the time or I was in my right mind to compel someone to lie for me? Please, darling Freya, you have to do much better than that." "You lied about being drunk when you showed up here. That is proof enough that you are hiding something. So how about I call Elijah now? Would that make you loosen your tongue a bit more about what happened?" she asked him. "I was playing drunk because I wanted to make it look like I was actually enjoying my time here when in fact, I wasn't." "And why would you care about our opinion?" Lucien refused to answer that question and just looked away. "Look, you're not going to get anymore out of me. This is a waste of time for your pretty little self. So just let me go and we will call a truce."

His charming smile now appeared on his face and Freya was contemplating on letting him go. It wasn't because of his charm. Of course not. But she knew deep down that he was telling the truth. "What about the medallion? What do you have to say about that?" she asked him. "What does that have to do with anything?" "You tell me. You brought it here and now Niklaus is making me inspect it. DO you have some clue as to who could be behind these attacks on the humans, if you so claim that you are innocent." "I have already given my theories to Nik. Maybe you should question him. The medallion is a thing between us and our past with other people…including a certain redhead. It shouldn't concern you that much…"

Freya couldn't help but feel a little hurt by that statement. Taking a deep breath, she said, "Fine. You've proven your innocence in my book. But that does not mean that you are off the hook." She leaned over to rid him of the tight nods on the vervain filled ropes and Lucien had the chance to whisper huskily in her ear, "If all you ever wanted was to get me tied up and ready, all you had to do was ask, sweetheart." Freya smirked as she rid him of the ropes and he was finally able to stand but his skin was still hurting from the torture that had been placed upon him. "If I were you, I would save the flattery. With me, it will get you nowhere." Lucien smiled and was about to say something when the door opened and Elijah stepped inside with Marcel behind him.

"What is the meaning of this, Freya? Why has he been released?" Elijah asked her. "He has nothing to hide, Elijah. Just let him go." "Are you telling me that you believe his story?" he asked her. "Yes. I do. But still…something doesn't add up." She whispered and then her eyes connected with Lucien again. At that moment, Klaus stepped through the door and Freya crossed her hands over her chest saying, "Niklaus, please tell your creepy friend that just because he's good-looking doesn't mean I won't turn him inside out and hang what remains from a pole." Lucien smirked but Klaus didn't seem to be at all in the mood for these teases. He was holding his phone in his hands.

"Brother, what has happened?" Elijah asked him but Klaus sped forward and grabbed a hold of Lucien's shirt, making him look at him in the eyes. "I am going to ask you only once and you better not lie to me." "What the…?" "Are you responsible for the deaths and the bombarding in the bayou?" Klaus asked him quietly and Lucien snapped, "NO! For heaven's sake, Nik…I would have thought you would know that better than anyone." Klaus let go of his shirt and Elijah asked him, "What bombarding? Niklaus, what is going on?" "Hayley has just given me news that a bomb exploded in the bayou killing half her wolves."

…

"Hayley!" Jackson exclaimed as he pulled her into his arms for a hug. Klaus was just behind them, observing them quietly. "I am fine, Jack. It's not me…it's…they died, Jack. Almost half of them have been killed and the rest of them are hurt." Hayley explained as she did her best not to let the tears from her eyes fall, especially not with Klaus around. "Then we have to get back there. I will go back…" Jackson started saying but Hayley shook her head at once. "No! No! We will stay here for now. I am sure that I was the target in that bayou and at least for today, I have to stay away…" "Hayley, they are our people…" Jackson started saying but Klaus immediately stepped in saying, "I have sent my vampires into the bayou for inspection and they shall stay there until tomorrow for safe guarding."

Jackson didn't know what to say, so he just continued to look at Hayley, who turned towards Klaus and asked, "Who could have done this?" "I do not know, love but I can assure you that I will find out. In the meantime, I want you to bring Hope and stay at the compound for the night." "What? Why?" she asked, shocked at his proposal. "Because as you said, little wolf. You are a target and I am not going to keep you out of my sight for that matter. Take Hope and come to the compound. It is not a request." He whispered to her. Hayley was prepared to snap at him but Klaus held her hand and whispered, "Please, do not argue with me on this. Just do as I say. I only wish to keep you protected."

They stood there, staring at each other for a long time before Hayley whispered, "Fine." And turned back towards Jackson and went into the apartment to get Hope and the rest of her things. She didn't like this one bit and she knew that Jackson had to be flaming with fury on the inside, but Klaus was right this time. She needed Hope to be safe and the safest place for her and for herself was at the compound for now. The next day, she would figure out everything else. Klaus was waiting for her and then watched her say goodbye to Jackson, before taking her to her former room, claiming to have it arranged by the maids as soon as possible, while Hope was placed in her old nursery.

As soon as nightfall came, Klaus didn't seem at all eager to ease into his bed, not even when Cami was waiting for him with a sweet smile on her face. She kissed his cheek and whispered, "Are you coming to bed?" "I have…I have somewhere I need to be." "What?" Cami was absolutely confused by his answer. "I have some business I need to take care of, love. You go to sleep." He whispered and kissed her forehead before leaving the room. Taking a deep breath, Klaus made his way over to the nursery, where he could hear the fluttering heartbeats of his daughter, but what he heard, almost made his heart melt.

His daughter's mother…his little wolf…she was singing the way she had never sung before. A small gasp escaped his lips as he recognized the words from an old song about wolves and a small smile broke on his face as he leaned his head onto the wall and stayed there, feeling most comfortable, listening to his daughter's heartbeat and Hayley's wonderful voice. His eyes closed and he could feel himself drifting off to a deep sleep, after such a tiring day.

* * *

 **A/N: Sorry for the wait, but I had a lot on my mind and I do need more motivation to write these stories. Plus, I have another one popping in my mind and I want to start that one soon. I don't know when. So what do you think will happen from here? Will Freya and Lucien drift away now that she had tortured him? How will Klaus and Hayley's relationship change for the better?**

 **Thank you for reading and please leave me reviews!**


	4. Splinters In The Heart

**Previously, on Heart by Heart, Elijah was disturbed of the killings which had started happening in the city and asked Freya to torture some answers out of Lucien. Klaus and Rebekah shared a few moments together, when she returned, about Hayley and about his new relationship with Camille. Freya tortured Lucien to no one and Klaus received message of an attack in the bayou which raised his concerns for Hayley. A mysterious phone call made Klaus believe that Aurora is finally threatening his family. Eventually, Klaus and Hayley had a very strong moment and Klaus chose to spend the night listening to her sing to their daughter.**

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 **PLOT: In a heart wrenching dream, Freya wakes up with concerns about her safety and finally believing in Lucien's innocence, she goes to consult him of it. The next morning, Hayley ends up in the bayou again, with Klaus insisting to join her and they talk about solutions of protecting the pack. Meanwhile, Vincent explains to Elijah the fully complicated situation of Gia's captor. Jackson makes an important decision as a clue to the threats is left in Hayley's hut. Marcel and Rebekah see each other again after a long break and Freya makes a startling discovery of Aurora's pendant.**

* * *

 _The trees were coming for her. She was running as fast as she could through the dark bayou. Normally, it would have never scared her, but this time…fate had completely other plans for an immortal witch like her. She ran but she heard them behind her. Everything was moving and she was searching through her purse, for something._

 _She was searching for something she herself didn't understand. She couldn't reach it and when she did, she pulled it out and showed it to the moon. The crows swept down and instead of attacking her, they embraced her. Her heart soared with joy that she had accomplished her goal. The pendant was shinning with gold and red…the colors of wealth and power._

 _But at once the crows stopped protecting her…and they flew away._

 _She thought that she would be freed from the strong grip the trees would soon have on her but she wasn't. She tried to get the pendant away from her but it was not possible. It was as if it was glued to her hand and it would not let go at all. "NO! PLEASE!" she cried out when she felt the branches of those trees around her._

 _The crows had then reappeared before her and it looked like they were whispering to each other. "Your soul is what they want." She could hear one of the crows saying. The wind was blowing her hair in front of her eyes which was making it impossible for her to see for much longer._

 _"What? What did you say? What is happening to me? What is going to happen to me?" she demanded but the crows just continued whispering to each other and perhaps they were even laughing at her. All she had done was to try and crack that pendant and it had gotten her into this mess._

" _You can take it…take it back to its mistress. I don't want it anymore." She croaked and tried to get loose but the branches would not let go of her and it felt like their grip was making her lose more and more energy._

 _"She doesn't want it anymore." One of the crows told her and she looked up with bold eyes, forgetting about the branches and the wind. "What? Why doesn't she want it anymore?" The crows then looked at each other and one whispered, "It is the way of the mistress. One soul needs to be collected."_

" _NO! Two souls." The other argued with the first crow which spoke and then they both nodded towards her. "Yes, two souls need to unite…two souls to complete the ritual. That pendant is all that it takes." "_

 _What are you talking about? Just tell me the truth already! Tell me what she planned. Why does she want me? Who else does she want?" Struggling was hopeless and the last chance she had was for the crows to tell her about the ritual but they both stopped talking when they saw someone behind her._

 _"What? What's going on?" she asked, desperately trying to free herself from the branches but they wouldn't let go. "What is it?" she asked again but this time, the crows flew away and they left her be taken by the wind…and by any other living creature which wanted her flesh and now her soul._

Freya gasped as she opened her eyes and sat up on the bed with shock written all over her face. She put one hand over her heart and noticed it was beating rapidly. Nightmares like these…she wasn't used to them and she didn't think that she would normally have them. But she was afraid to go back to sleep, even though she knew that it was a dream.

Slowly, she dragged herself out of the bed and put on her slippers, letting the light blue nightdress she had, on and she went down to the kitchen, hoping that maybe some warm milk would help her relieve her stress over such a cruel nightmare.

Then, she reasoned with herself that when you are involved in a family like the Mikaelsons…nightmares become an every night occurrence. She made her way to the kitchen and opened the door.

What she saw there, almost gave her a scream, which could match the one in her nightmare. Lucien dropped the silverware and raised his hands in the air when he felt her behind him.

"Are you insane? Do you have any idea what time it is? What are you doing here?" Freya asked three questions as soon as she got over the shock of seeing him there. Lucien just smirked and picked up the silverware, showing that he was making himself some pancakes.

She took a deep breath and pushed a few strands of hair behind her ears, hoping not to look too ridiculous standing there in front of him, wearing her nightdress. "What is it with you and these pancakes?" she asked him and took a seat at the table.

Lucien smirked and set down the pancakes on the table. "They happen to be my favorites." "And what are you doing here at this time of night?" "I could ask you the same thing, sweetheart. No need to be salty."

He handed her a few pancakes, which she kind of appreciated and couldn't help but smile a little. "Okay, well, if you really want to know…" "As a matter of fact, I am not certain that I should be making conversations with you, because the last time we interacted, you were torturing me while I was strapped on a chair with vervain-filled ropes. You are quite dangerous, love and I am too handsome to be treated like that again. The next time it happens, we are going to have problems."

"Oh really? And what makes you think that I care if I will have problems with you or not?" Freya challenged as she took a bite out of his pancakes, feeling very delighted by their taste. No matter how much Lucien annoyed her, she couldn't deny that he had class when it came to cooking.

"It was a simple warning from my part." "And now I can understand why you don't have many friends." Freya commented.

Lucien was standing up to get something but then halted, turned to her and said, "What do you know of my friends, lovely Freya?" His charming smile was back on and she was trying hard not to blush. "I know that you are friends with Nik and that should say a lot about your character."

Lucien snorted, turned around and grabbed the maple syrup from the cabinet, making Freya burst into laughter, without meaning to. "Shhhh…is your goal to wake everyone in this compound? I don't think the brother you speak of will be too happy about that." Freya covered her mouth and then pointed at him. "You just had to find that maple syrup didn't you?" she asked when she had finally stopped laughing.

"And now you can finally understand that I was not lying that morning when you thought I was up to no good. I know that I may have that devilishly appearance of a stud…and I am a stud…but not quite as evil as you might think." Freya understood. "Okay. Then, I'm sorry I doubted you that day."

She leaned over and took some maple syrup and laid it on her pancakes, looking over at the clock and seeing that it was 4 AM. "So, you came here because you were hungry? Is that what you usually do at night? Sneak in kitchens so you can stuff your mouth and not be judged by it?" Freya asked and Lucien smiled. "I actually like to come here and think."

"About what?" "About my achievements…and what I must do to get my enemies to back away from me." "Do these pancakes help you think?" "Sometimes. And maybe they will help you think now as well."

Freya stopped chewing and looked into his orbits when she realized that for the first time, he was being kind of…supportive and not flirtatious towards her like he was from the start. "What's on your mind now, love? Can you tell me about it?" he asked.

Freya wouldn't normally open up, but she did and that confused her. "I guess I had this nightmare."

"Ah, I see…girls and their nightmares." Lucien cackled a laugh but stopped when he saw the look on Freya's face. "Go on." "There were these trees following me…and the branches caught me and they were keeping me captive as two crows spoke to me. At first, I couldn't make out what they were saying, but then, they were talking about the pendant…that girl's pendant, the one you came here with."

Lucien stopped eating and looked at her, closely. "And what else is there? What were they saying?" "They were talking about needing souls for some sort of ritual but I couldn't understand anything else." Lucien sighed as they both finished eating and he picked up the plates and started washing them. "That is quite a nightmare you had there, love. I wouldn't sleep after that either."

"Do you think it could mean something?" she asked him. "Like what?" Lucien furrowed his eyebrows. "Like…I don't know. Maybe, just maybe…it's a ritual I have to watch out for…or take part of it myself."

Freya suggested and she could see that Lucien was looking at her in a skeptical way. Freya shook her head and stood up. "Forget it. I know I shouldn't have said anything and especially not to you." "Hey, hey, hey, wait a minute!" Lucien grabbed her hand and pulled her back. "What?" Freya snapped.

"Look, I am just trying to put some pieces of this puzzle together." "Well, you can do that. I am going to find out what it is about that locket and I will do it today." She tried to pull away from him but he wouldn't let her. Freya raised her eyebrow at him and whispered, "Excuse me, but you should let me go right now."

Lucien smiled and asked, "Are you going to jinx me?" "Maybe I will be tempted to. What do you think?" "I think you like me too much to do that." "Ha! You are so full of…" "Freya, if you really want my opinion…then I would tell you that you should take it slow for now and…see where that takes you."

"Take it slow? What are you talking about?" "Stop stressing too much over nothing." "You think this nightmare is nothing?" "I didn't say that. But maybe you should try a good night's rest first. What do you say?" He winked at her before leaving the kitchen.

…

Hayley opened her eyes and for the first time, she noticed that she had not left the nursery at all. This is where she had been…sleeping on the chair with her darling Hope in her arms. She smiled to herself and kissed her sleeping daughter, before putting her in the crib. It was a miracle that she had not dropped her the other night, but she had been tired herself that she fell asleep from the very song she had sung.

After putting Hope back into the crib, Hayley looked up, a bit frightened at first because she heard some soft snoring coming from the front of the nursery, near the door. She straightened and wiped her eyes before stepping over to the door and noticing that he was there…with his head against the wall, sleeping soundly on the floor.

Hayley was worried but at the same time, she couldn't help a smile appearing on her face. He looked very peaceful…angelic when he was sleeping.

Suddenly, his eyes snapped upon and he stared up at her. Her heart jumped and she placed a hand over her chest as Klaus whispered, "I'm sorry to have frightened you, little wolf. That was not your intention." She put her hands over her chest and asked, "Really? Then what exactly have you been doing here all night?"

She didn't want to sound this rude to him. Of course that she had not forgiven him fully for what he did to her but she was looking to make amends. "Hope's heartbeat…and your voice…they soothed me." Was all he replied and Hayley felt her heart quickening for a moment.

Her voice? He had been listening to her sing? She always made sure that she kept the singing to herself but now… "You do have a beautiful voice, love. Why haven't you sung before?" he asked, standing up slowly.

Hayley didn't break eye contact with him as she cleared her throat and said, "Well, it was kind of difficult with witches plotting against us, your parents, me giving birth and then dying only to become a hybrid…then Dahlia and right after that, you reactivated my curse…it was kind of difficult to find some time to spare."

She could see the regret in his eyes…at the way she had mentioned his wrong doings. But she didn't want to make him feel like that and especially not after a day they have had. She suddenly remembered her wolves…the pack which was counting on her…the pack which had provided her a home when she needed one.

It was her family and Jackson's and now, they were in danger because of her. "I think that maybe…maybe I should go to the bayou today. I need to see my family." She turned towards her room but Klaus was in front of her in seconds, looking at her sternly.

"If you think that I will allow you to go back there after the bombing yesterday…" he stopped in mid-sentence when she whispered, "Klaus, they are my family and you know that I would do anything for family just like you would. Now that they need me more than ever, I can't just turn my back on them just to keep myself safe. I am a hybrid now and I think that I can take care of myself a lot more than they can."

Klaus thought about her words and then he placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I think that it is time for me to join you." "What makes you think that they will accept you after what you've done to them?"

"I would hate for us to go back to that subject, little wolf. Either you let me accompany you to the swamp today or you are not going at all. It is completely your choice alone."

"Okay. Fine. You can come but I don't want you to create any more trouble for them." "The purpose of my going there is to look for clues and to protect you."

"What clues?" "Elijah had discovered the killing of five humans yesterday and he blamed Lucien for it." "Your creepy vampire friend?" "Yes. However, after a strange phone call the other day, I believe I might have a lead on who has been behind this. Let us go, love." "I'm sure that you might want to inform Cami of where you're going first."

Hayley smirked when she said that but somewhere in her heart, she didn't feel very good about that idea, and she didn't know why. "Yes…of course." Klaus swiftly turned around and used his speed to go to his room, where Cami was waiting for him, wandering where he had been the other night, as he had not joined her in bed for sleep…or something else they were hoping to do.

"I am going to the bayou with Hayley." He told her and Cami asked with a frown. "Why?" "Because after what happened yesterday, she needs my protection."

"Klaus, she is a hybrid. She can handle herself." Cami argued but Klaus would have none of it. He came to her and kissed her cheek softly before telling her, "Do not wait up for me. I might be running late. And try not to go outside today."

"Why?" Cami asked but Klaus left without answering her question. He grabbed his jeep and Hayley got inside at once. They no longer talked about Cami or Jackson. They were more concerned of how they were going to keep their daughter safe now…with the new threats arriving from everywhere. "How is Rebekah?" Hayley finally asked when they were close to the bayou.

Klaus smiled a little, at the mention of his sister and he realized how much he had missed her. "She is doing very well and I am certain that she has a couple of things she would like to discuss with you."

"I would like to talk to her too?" "Do you believe it was a good idea for you to leave Hope with Jackson? The lad will probably share his flees…"

"Please don't start." Hayley told him but a smile crossed her face as she turned her head to look out the window. What he was saying about her husband was very rude, but there were times when she really craved Klaus' sense of humor. They stopped talking once the bayou was in plain view and they left the car immediately.

As expected, the wolves were very happy to see her, but their eyes darkened and they started barking in more ways than one once they saw Klaus standing alongside her. "He has come in peace. No more fighting. I beg you, especially not after what happened yesterday. He wants to help us."

Hayley pleaded with them. The wolves stopped their complaints but that didn't mean that they were okay with the situation, and they offered Hayley her old hut back.

Hayley went inside and smiled to herself once she sat on the bed. She had always felt safe there. Klaus opened the door to the hut and stepped inside, feeling displeased at how accommodated she felt there…in a swamp such as this one. In his view, she deserved much better than what was given to her.

But no matter how he felt…he did do his best to smile as to not make her feel uncomfortable. "Enjoying this home, love? But you cannot possibly claim it to be better than the dazzling room I have prepared for you back at the compound…" "Klaus…" she said with an annoyed tone and he smirked.

"Alright, love, not another word. I understand the message." He then turned his head towards the small table and his smile dropped from his face.

Stepping over to it, he picked up the single decent looking object from that room. It was a purple perfume. Taking it in his hands, he could smell her already. How could he not know this girl's scent? He had known her for a very long time. "Klaus, what's going on?" Hayley sat up from the bed and walked to his side.

"It is…I know it. It's her symbol." "Whose?" "Aurora De Martel. My former lover." He then turned his head, somehow very eager to read the expression on her face and sure enough, Klaus was delighted to see her face serious as she looked over the perfume. But it was not only that. He could sense her emotions… "Hayley!" a voice they both knew called out from outside and the two snapped their heads up to look at each other.

"What the bloody hell is he doing here?" Klaus growled but Hayley put a hand on his chest. This touch surely meant nothing to her…but for Klaus…it felt like electricity coursing through him as his eyes then travelled from her face, to her curves, and then back to her hand.

If she only knew what sort of effect she had on him… Klaus cleared his throat, getting Hayley's attention and she quickly pulled her hand away.

"You can figure out why I have your ex's perfume in my hut and I will see what's going on with Jackson." Hayley whispered and left. Klaus sighed and then he picked up the perfume again, comparing the sweet scent to what he felt when he heard her voice the other day.

It had been a long time…and she had broken his heart in more ways than one the day they parted. But in her view, it was him who could never accept her for the vampire that she finally became. He could understand the rage with which Aurora would soon return. And two women in his life would be in danger, Hayley and Cami.

Rubbing his eyes, he realized that it was time to make sure no harm would come to them. He would have to deal with Aurora himself.

Klaus stepped outside of the hut and gazed over at Hayley standing before Jackson, with her arms crossed over her chest. He was holding Hope and then he handed her to her mother. "What is going on here?" Klaus finally asked, deciding to barge into the conversation, as he always would. Jackson sighed and then he stated, "I have decided that this pack needs me…so I am going to be moving back in here."

"But what about Hope and me? You are expecting me to come back to live here? You know that…" "…that Klaus keeps you on a tight leash? Yeah, I do!" Jackson said, bitterly and Klaus immediately took a step towards him, snarling, "Mind your manners…lap dog…" "Okay. Stop. No." Hayley pulled the two apart. "I told you that I don't want any more of this, so please…"

"She's right. There is a child present, lad. Play nice and I can assure you that if you wish to stay here, be my guest. But Hayley is coming with me. The last thing I would want would be for her to take part of another attack. As for you…let's just say…your death would bring no tears in my eyes."

Klaus then decided to remain quiet, knowing that he had already said plenty. He thought that Hayley would scold him for his harsh words towards her husband, but she didn't. "Look, Jack…you have to understand that I am not looking out just for myself. I also have to think about Hope and her future. I need to keep myself safe for her and in this case, Klaus is right."

Jackson's eyes softened at her words and then he leaned in and gently placed a kiss on her lips. While doing so, Hayley could feel why he was kissing her in public this way. It was a wolf thing…to try to show Klaus who was in control, but her poor husband was failing miserably.

After giving Hope a peck on her cheek, Jackson headed towards the hut where his grandmother lived. "Let's go. We are done here." Klaus growled and started to leave when Hayley grabbed his hand. "No! Wait! What about what you said? Klaus, you wanted to help my people and I supported that…do you want to leave now?"

Klaus turned to face her as Hayley bit her lip and pulled Hope closer. "Just stay a little while longer. Please." "And what do you suggest we do?" "Help. We have helped them once…we can do it again." Klaus looked towards the swamp he was forced to stay in. But he knew Hayley was right. He had made a promise and it was his duty to keep it.

"Very well. We shall spend a few more hours here. But what I have found in your hut…is the reason why we must make sure our little trip is cut short, little wolf." He explained.

...

"What does it mean for her soul?" Rebekah heard Elijah ask, as she was eavesdropping at the door. Vincent then quickly replied, "It means that she is trapped and there are many souls to follow her there. I sensed something dark cooking…some sort of spell. Living souls are to leave their bodies and their energy shall be induced by someone who holds such great power."

"So, are you suggesting that Gia's soul is trapped between the living and the dead with no escape possible and her captor happens to be a witch?" "It doesn't necessarily have to be a witch. It could be any creature alive…but that creature has to posses the omen of death."

Elijah took a few steps around the room and asked, "What is that omen of death?" "It's a crystal." "A crystal." Elijah repeated, thinking of all he had discovered.

"Yeah. It's a crystal of no color, but small…very small…hard to find." "How small? And how do you know about it?" Rebekah heard her brother ask and Vincent replied, "I've been surrounded by dark witches including Eva, all my life. Rebekah should know what I am talking about. She felt Eva's power too. The crystal is small but its power can rip the world of all of its energy or control the minds of the weak. But that crystal cannot do it alone. In order to start, it needs at least two strong souls."

"What kind of souls?" "Souls with the heart of gold…but with a dark past, which no light can ever repair it. Gia is one of them." "So, she is still alive!" Elijah exclaimed, his fingers grazing over her violin.

"She's not alive. But she's not dead either. Someone saved her from going to the other side when she burned in the sun…but they didn't save her for any good reason. This is torture."

"So to which conclusion are you prepared to arrive, Vincent? What must I do to bring Gia back?" Elijah asked. "You have the violin…and now you need the crystal. But I don't know exactly how we can bring her back." "And why not?" "Because I don't have experience for this kind of thing and I don't think Freya has it either."

"Then to who are we supposed to go to?" "You bring me that crystal and we can figure out that part later." "The reason the person behind this has not completed the ritual quite yet is because it needs another soul beside Gia's. Who?" Elijah wondered.

Rebekah pulled her ear from the door, still surprised at how Elijah was so into the conversation he was having with Vincent that he did not even realize that she had been eavesdropping on them.

But as soon as she turned around, she let out a yelp as Marcel was standing before her. "Rebekah." Marcel whispered with a smile and stepped forward to hug her. "I missed you." He whispered in her ear and Rebekah smiled, hugging him back. They had left things quite strange between them before she left.

A kiss was all they shared, and it was special, but Rebekah knew better than to start anything with Marcel Gerard this quickly ever again. There would always be something to stand in their way but eventually…they would find each other. So what was the rush?

Marcel seemed to be thinking the same thing as he stepped back from her and didn't even try to kiss her, as he normally would. "Are you alright? What were you snooping at the door for?"

He asked her and Rebekah could suddenly feel herself blushing from the embarrassment of being caught.

"I…um…I needed the information and you know how Elijah is. He keeps it all in himself when there is a woman involved. I wish that there would no longer be women standing in the way of my brothers' happiness." Rebekah complained but Marcel laughed and shook his head.

"What are you talking about? These women help Klaus and Elijah…they make them…well…feel more alive. That is exactly the way I used to always feel when I was around you." "Used to?" Rebekah teased. "Well…I thought that it was you who felt like taking a break. Putting things in the past like that usually helps."

"Yes…maybe. We will just see where it takes us, Marcellus. It has been so long and so much has happened to me in a short period of time. I do not feel like myself...which is why I believe that we should stay friends."

"I understand." Marcel ended their conversation lightly but with a tad bit of disappointment as well.

…

Lucien groaned as Freya pulled him inside of her room and closed the door. Chuckling, he saw the way she locked it and whispered, "I do not mind these one night stands, but sweetheart, I never had a woman so straightforward with me."

"Wipe that grin off your face, Lucien. There is no way in a million years for that to be the reason why I bring you here. Look!" she pointed at the pendant he had brought her, which belonged to Aurora. It was moving. "Whoa!"

Lucien kneed in front of the table so he could get a closer and better look. "That is quite fascinating indeed. What do you suppose it could mean?" "There is only one thing that crossed my mind when an object is moving at that speed. Someone is trapped in there."

"A person?" Lucien asked her and then stood up, while Freya kept her eyes constantly on the object. "Yes. Or not. Something…something is in there." As soon as she touched the pendant, her heart started to quicken, her eyes turned brightly colored white pearls and she started mumbling in Latin.

Lucien froze on the spot at he watched her, never having imagined it to go this far. "Freya!" he yelled at her as books started falling from the shelves. She would not listen and just continued chanting whatever she could. "Freya!"

Lucien yelled at her again and when she didn't answer, Lucien sped forward and grabbed her shoulders, using his vampire speed and landed them both on the ground, with her gasping for air.

"What in God's name are you doing?!" Freya screeched when she noticed that Lucien's eyes diverted from her own and went directly to her boobs. She pushed him off of her, as he sat up and straightened himself.

"What were you doing? Were you trying to give me a heart attack, love? Not that I would need one…but…" Freya stood before the pendant and whispered, "There is someone in there and it was calling out for my help." She told him and he scoffed.

"Then maybe the princess should save the day and bring the poor soul back to where it came from." "I don't know how to do that."

* * *

 **A/N: The Klayley relationship will be much more explored in the next chapter when Hayley will have something pretty special to say to Klaus, right before another tragedy happens. There will be more of Cami too and Frucien! As for Gilijah, we have a long way to go before they finally reunite.**

 **Thank you for reading and please leave me reviews!**


	5. The Other Side

**In the previous chapter, Freya showed plenty of concern because of a dream and shared it with Lucien, who couldn't offer the best of answers, only the best of comfort. Klaus and Hayley shared a moment in the bayou, with the rest of the wolves, as they tried to figure out who was behind the explosion. After Klaus found a familiar perfume in Hayley's hut, Jackson showed up in the bayou, determined to stay there, for his people. Elijah learned something more about Gia's captivity, Marcel and Rebekah reunited in a friendly way and Freya discovered the truth about the pendant.**

* * *

 **PLOT: Elijah tells his brother, Klaus of the ritual he must perform with a certain crystal in order to bring Gia back, and using Freya's help, the two come in contact with Gia's soul in order to obtain more information. Freya has a vision which involves Marcel meeting up with Davina, who claims to be on a quest to bring Kol back from the other side of the world, using a special item. Freya's nightmares turn into something else entirely, which makes her desperate enough to try any of Lucien's solutions. Finally, a second tragedy in the bayou makes Klaus determined to get an old acquaintance out of hiding.**

* * *

"Niklaus!" Elijah exclaimed the moment he saw his brother entering his room. Klaus rolled his eyes and went to the bar in order to pour himself a drink.

Elijah smiled slightly and then he added, "I see that you are in your regular foul mood. Should I assume that your trip with Hayley to the bayou didn't go as well as you had hoped it would?"

"No, I would simply like to point out that my little adventures in the bayou with Hayley are certainly none of your business." "And how exactly are they yours? Something you would like to share with me?"

Klaus gulped down some scotch, smiled and then said, "As far as I remember, brother, you had renounced on your concern for Hayley ages ago. This will certainly not change anytime soon. In light of that, I think that you should leave her be. She is a married woman now, after all."

"I am well aware of that. However, I must inform you that simply because I am no longer interested in pursuing a romantic relationship with the mother of your child that does not mean that I don't care about her wellbeing. I will always care because she will always be a part of our family. Niklaus, Hayley is not the matter for discussion at this moment."

"Then what is?" "I found a lead on Gia." "And why the blood hell would I care?" Elijah frowned and immediately speeded over and grabbed Klaus by the throat, holding him up against the wall.

"I believe that you should care, since you are the one who convinced her to take off her daylight ring and burst into flames." "Stop it! Both of you!" Rebekah called out from the door. Elijah and Klaus continued to look each other in a deadly manner before Elijah released his grip and turned to Rebekah, who was walking towards them, annoyed.

Elijah placed a kiss on her cheek and whispered, "I must say that I continue to be pleased that you are back." "Well, if I see any more of this bloody nonsense, I might as well just leave again."

"No. We will behave. As soon as you tell Elijah here to keep his gentle little hands off of me." Rebekah turned to Elijah and raised her eyebrow. She had always taken Klaus' side whenever there was an argument between him and Elijah. Not because she loved one brother more than the other but simply because she felt sorry for the one who called himself a bastard.

Elijah took a deep breath and turned to Rebekah, saying, "I am pleased that you are here. I have made a discovery after contacting Vincent." "This is about Gia?" "Yes." "I know what you talked about with Vincent. I heard you but now, I think Nik should know too." Rebekah replied.

"Know what?" Klaus asked, running his hand over his shirt, to rearrange it. "That Gia can be brought back. According to Vincent, she is neither alive nor dead. She is stuck in between two worlds, the world of the living and the one of the dead. Her soul is trapped and meant to be used for higher purposes, along with another."

"I cannot possibly understand what you mean." "Understand that we are once again facing a dangerous threat, Niklaus. There is a plot. Someone is conspiring against us. A diamond…no bigger than the tip of my own finger is the key to end this madness." "What kind of diamond?"

"According to Vincent, it is one which can be used to channel the energy of the most powerful beings in the world. In addition to that, two souls are required. Two souls who represent a dark past…or who are certain to represent darkness in their souls. They already have Gia. Now, they must simply find someone else. Thankfully for Gia, she couldn't have been killed off after you made her burn in this sun because she is used for this high purpose. And do not be absurd as to believe that you are forgiven for your actions, brother. Simply because there is a chance that I can have Gia back in my life, that does not mean that I shall accent your apologies."

"Oh, dear old Elijah, I have not even offered my own apologies. What are you so concerned for?"

Rebekah closed her eyes and then she intervened, placing each of her hands on their chests to stop them from advancing their moves and maybe getting yet in another fight.

"Okay that is enough! I do not wish to hear another bloody word on the subject! Elijah, I agree that what Nik did to you was terrible. The love you hold for Gia is clear but now that there is a chance that she can be brought back, there is also a chance to mend the wounds in this family. We have hurt each other so much in the past. Let's not repeat our own mistakes. Always and forever, remember?"

"Indeed." Elijah agreed and took a step back as Klaus furrowed his eyebrows and said softly, "As you wish, baby sister."

The doors to the room opened and Cami walked inside with a small smile on her face. "I realized that there was a family feud going on and I didn't want to intervene. Klaus, do you want to come with me and get some lunch? I'm thirsty for something really warm and good."

Rebekah turned to Klaus and raised her eyebrow at him. Klaus smirked and was about to respond to his lover before the doors opened and Freya stepped inside. "I think your plans are going to have to wait. I need to talk to my siblings alone now, Cami." The blonde gulped, realizing that she was not wanted at that moment, offered them another smile and left.

"Very well, Freya love, any particular reason as to why you have suddenly decided to disrupt a good meal for myself after a very exhausting day?" "Yes! I channeled the power of that talisman Lucien brought. It possesses souls." "Souls?" Elijah immediately asked, shocked. "Yes…souls. There are plenty of them. They're trapped and unable to get to the other side and die peacefully."

"Why must they die? Can't they not be brought back?" Elijah asked immediately and Freya sensed what her brother's fear was. "Gia is a difficult specimen but she was not among the souls I have encountered. Lucien was with me. You can ask him yourself." "Lucien?" Klaus asked, after a shot of bourbon and he looked surprised.

"Yes. Lucien. Anything you want to add?" "Yes…I cannot understand why you brought him into the matter. This is something personal…for family…" "And he was your family once too wasn't he, before you turned your back on him and left Father to track him down like that?" "Perhaps…if you would care to find me a new definition of what family means, sister."

Freya turned to Rebekah and asked, "What the hell is wrong with him? This is not about him missing out on some lunch with Cami, isn't it?" "As a matter of fact, I tend to agree with Freya, Niklaus. You have been acting quite peculiar, despite your pessimistic and arrogant aspects of your personality, which are a certain normality for you. Would you like to add something to the table?"

Klaus shrugged and smirked, "Either way, it does not concern you, as I have once mentioned before." "What happened with Hayley in the bayou? Was there any more trouble we need to know about?" Elijah asked him.

When his brother didn't respond, Elijah took a deep breath, giving up on the situation and turned to Freya, asking, "Is there any way I can possibly get in contact with Gia and speak to her? She might be the key to everything. It might be certain that she knows something and she can help us. Tell me that there is something you might be able to do."

"I can try to channel her but she is hidden among many souls. It will be almost impossible to find her on time, without the person who is keeping her captive to know what I am doing." Klaus was drumming his hands on the table, not being able to take his mind off of sensing Aurora's perfume and seeing it in Hayley's hut down in the bayou.

This woman used to be his lover and now, she was teasing him as well as testing him. He had had enough of her games. "Niklaus!" Elijah exclaimed, just as Klaus was pulled out of his thoughts.

"Yes. What is it that you wish to know from me? You already have your entire plan laid out in front of you, do you not?" Rebekah, Elijah and Freya were all looking at each other in confusion. "If you keep on acting like this, you're going to force me to get inside your head again just to see what is going on in that twisted mind of yours?" Freya warned him.

"I have nothing to hide." "I am not so sure about that, but for now, we can try to do what Elijah asked. We try to get in contact with Gia and see what she has to say about this whole thing."

Klaus raised a finger and stood up from the bar, whispering, "What continues to amaze me is the fact that up until this moment, no one has even started to contemplate on Lucien and his intentions. How is it possible that he of all people got the pendant which holds captive so many souls, Freya? Do you have the answer to that?"

Freya rolled her eyes and said, "You are the one who has been trying to convince us all this time that we should be able to trust him. You said that he warned you about Aurora and Tristan De Martel wanting to destroy your sireline. And now, you are suddenly changing your mind?"

"I have never stated that Lucien cannot be considered as an ally. I simply implied that maybe he is not telling us everything as he said he would." "Well, he told me enough." Freya replied softly and sat down on the ground, preparing her inner circle and her spell in order to chant. From her jacket, she also pulled out the interesting pendant which once belonged to Aurora De Martel before Lucien had stolen it from her.

Freya placed this pendant on the ground in front of her and eyed it suspiciously. "Are you really going to do this?" Rebekah asked her and Freya nodded. "We have to see her…Gia can be the only one to answer all of our questions.

She can give us the sight we need. And this pendant…when it is in the wrong hands…I have a feeling that it can destroy us all. But for now…let me just think." Freya sighed and closed her eyes. A few moments later, her chants were echoed all around the room.

" _Quid autem non potest solvi diffidentes fractum hinc animos. Oportet videre infames mulieres mente tenebrarum in animo est aurum non ignoretur. Haec est frater amandus et veniat in medium nostri diligere etiam si vellet. Et indica nobis_ _."_

"Niklaus." Elijah whispered as he started getting dizzy and he fell to the ground, just as Freya had in a few seconds. The chants could no longer be heard and both Klaus and Rebekah were now panicking, trying to reach their fallen siblings. "Freya! Wake up!" Rebekah cried out as she held onto her sister's head. Elijah was unconscious, as Klaus tried to revive him.

"I believe this is the way the spell would have worked. Gia is not to appear before us. She has to appear before them." Klaus mumbled to his sister, eventually, realizing the complications. "But why would something like that happen? Why shouldn't she appear before all of us?" "Maybe perhaps you have never known her and I happen to be the one who nearly killed her. As a powerful spirit, I believe that she has the right to see the people she wishes."

Klaus gently let go of Elijah's body on the ground and stood up with a sigh. Rebekah did the same thing and closed her eyes, getting annoyed. "Alright, fine! So, what do we do in the meantime?" "We wait it out. Frankly, I believe that I would have preferred to have a small yet bloody lunch. Perhaps, you would care to join me, sister."

"You continue to think of this as a joke, Nik? You killed this poor girl and you ruined Elijah's chances at happiness once again. You simply cannot stand the idea of either one of us being happy because you aren't, isn't that right?"

"As far as I know sister…I happen to be quite intimate with Cami. I believe that my happiness is well justified, so you thought wrong." Klaus responded with a smirk but Rebekah eyed him darkly. "Yes…sometimes I wonder if that is the true happiness you have been seeking this whole time." Pissed, Klaus threw his glass of bourbon to the ground and pointed at her.

"I don't believe that I have offered you the impossibility to be Marcel's lover since you have returned, have I? Why is it that you do not display your love and affections for him?" "Maybe because that's not what I want to do right now."

"Ah, so you see? It is you who stands in the way of your own perfect little happiness, dear sister, not mean. Gia's death was a sacrifice she had to endure in order to save us all from Dahlia…and it had served its purpose…if there is a chance that she can come back into the land of the living and make Elijah happy, then she can have at it, because I will be just as pleased."

…

Freya gasped and started coughing as she pushed herself up from the ground and looked around. Elijah looked passed out, but he was fine, other than that unpleasant moment. He opened his eyes and looked around at the foam surrounding them.

"What is happening here? Where are we, Freya?" he asked, worried. "We are in the place she summoned us. She is in the control when it comes to that pendant even though she is trapped in it. Because this is her home and we are the ones who contacted her."

"GIA!" Elijah suddenly called out. He knew that she was there…but he felt the need to see her. He was desperate to see her face once more…her eyes…he wanted to see that smile.

Ever since his and Hayley's departure from any romantic attachments, he had felt inexplicably happy to be with this woman who resembled him so much…a vampire, with the same taste for music and other aspects of the New Orleans culture…so much like himself. He felt connected to her and even through death…that connection didn't fade.

"I think that she is still in hiding. Since we came here and she granted us permission, we have to find her ourselves so come on, Elijah." Freya whispered and started walking. Elijah, yet continued to look around himself and then asked, "Where are Niklaus and Rebekah?"

"They are back home. Where we are right now…you have to understand that this is not home for us. It could be a figment of our imagination or the real deal…where the soul we need has been trapped. Gia." "I cannot possibly understand…Freya. Vincent informed me that Gia's soul is one of the two souls needed for the spell this hidden enemy of our family needs for our destruction. Why do you claim that you have seen thousands, blocked in this one pendant?"

Freya sighed and whispered, "Look, I can't understand much out of this either. Lucien and I were locked in that room when I made my first connection with the pendant and I know what I saw. My vision never lets me down, Elijah." "That I can believe, however…I am inclined to believe that Lucien is not being truthful, as Niklaus has remarked."

"What more can we get out of him? We have tried everything and if he is not budging, then maybe there really is nothing to hide." "I don't believe that he would come here to warn my brother if Aurora and Tristan De Martel were planning on destroying his sireline."

"Why not? Are you forgetting that Lucien is part of our brother's sireline? Lucien seems like the guy who will not let anyone or anything stand in his way. And once he is threatened, he acts to protect himself. It's natural. And I can't blame him. He wouldn't have been around this family if his life didn't depend on it, not after what you, Nik and Rebekah have done to him and the rest of that small gang."

"Freya, we all had to make sacrifices when our father was coming after us. I expect you to understand that. What we did to Lucien, Aurora and Tristan…we did it for us. Sacrifices…you will learn to make a few yourself." They both stopped talking when they heard the footsteps.

Elijah's breathing hitched as Gia stood before them…her figure was perfect and there were no signs of any burns.

Of course not. The burns were left on the body she had abandoned when she passed into this pendant. "Elijah." She whispered and the Original Vampire could not contain himself. He rushed over and pulled her over in an embrace. For a moment, he was afraid that he could only see her but not be able to touch her. He was wrong, however.

His lips found her forehead and then he looked into her eyes and whispered, "The last time I saw you…I cannot even describe the feelings that collided through me at the thought of never seeing you again. My heart instantly broke into millions of pieces. And to see you here…and be able to touch you…" Gia smiled but then, she placed her finger on Elijah's lips to stop him from talking.

"I don't have a lot of time and you have to know…the troubles that are coming for us, Elijah. For all of you too. I am lucky to not have died but if the enemy finds a soul like mine…we are all screwed to say the least." Elijah just shook his head and replied, "All I need to do is get the crystal and I can bring you back. I will bring you back."

"The crystal is held by the person who put me in here." "Who is it?" Elijah asked her. Gia opened her mouth but then she closed it again. "I can't tell you." She responded afterwards. Now, it was Freya's turn to intervene.

"How can you not tell us? Your life is on the line and like you said, you are lucky that you are only stuck in between two worlds now. If you don't tell us who's behind the attacks, we won't be able to help you." "The attacks on the humans and the werewolves…yes…they said they would do that." "Who? Who said it?" "I can't say…even if I wanted to…I couldn't."

"Why not?" Elijah asked, gripping her shoulders and making her look into his eyes. "Because I have been ordered not to speak about them. It is an enchantment. It's not something I can control either. But I accepted to let you come here…because I really did miss seeing you, Elijah."

She touched his lips with her fingers and smiled a little, breaking his heart when he saw that one tear which escaped.

She always wanted to be strong in front of him and there were times when she couldn't. She would break.

"You kissed me goodbye and I, I wanted to let you go but…your brother…" Gia started saying and Freya backed away, slightly, understanding that this was their moment and as little as it was, she wanted her brother to be reunited with the woman he loved and lost…or would lose if they didn't get what they needed.

Elijah kissed her cheek and then whispered, "I promise you that you shall be free, but I need to be careful and I need to make the right choices, which is another reason why I am here. I need you to confirm something for me, if that is the least you can do."

"Just ask." Gia encouraged. "Is it true that another soul is expected to join you here…in order for the absorption of power to be completed?" Elijah asked softly and Gia immediately nodded. "They said that two souls…two souls were needed to bring down two Originals. And then the power extracted from these two Originals would give them the opportunity to control…"

Gia suddenly clasped a hand over her throat as she felt something funny. She opened her mouth but she could no longer speak. Someone had blocked her and Elijah realized this instantly. He turned to Freya and said, "You have to do something."

"I am powerless out here, Elijah. We have to get back to New Orleans. But as long as the other soul is needed, she will be safe here. You don't have to worry about her." "Sister, we do not know what other soul is needed." "We have time to figure this out, but we have to go now. Now brother!"

Gia's hand on his cheek made Elijah snap back and look at her. "Go." She whispered, encouragingly with a smile. He leaned over and pressed a soft kiss on her lips instead.

"This shall not remain your hell hole. You have me to promise you that." Elijah whispered when he pulled back and he saw that Gia's eyes were closed and she was breathing in deeply. Finally, he turned back around to Freya, as she chanted what she needed in order to get them out of there. Elijah's thoughts were deeply troubled when they finally returned.

He couldn't believe that he had let himself to leave her there…but he couldn't bring her with him. She was trapped. Klaus was grinning from ear to ear as Rebekah looked worried. "How was the happy reunion, brother?" he asked Elijah and Freya immediately sent him a warning look as to not try anything.

Listening to her demand, Klaus went back to her bourbon as Rebekah asked Freya, "What's next? What did Gia say?" "She confirmed our suspicions…but there was something holding her back from saying more. She talked about more people plotting this…and how they need another soul like hers to complete the ritual."

"What other bloody soul? And how will we be able to find those responsible for these actions?" Rebekah asked and Klaus rolled his eyes. "I believe that we can already suspect the people from which Lucien himself has been running. Tristan and Aurora."

"How can you be so sure that it's them?" Rebekah asked. Klaus was prepared to reveal the perfume he had found in Hayley's hut in the bayou but chose not to say anything. "Argh!" Freya exclaimed and the three turned to look at her as she grabbed a hold of her head. "Are you alright?" Rebekah asked her. "Yeah, I…I think I just need some rest. That spell really worn me out. We will talk about this later."

Freya headed over into her room and closed the door at once, kneeling down and grasping her forehead in shock. She couldn't understand what was happening to her but whatever it was…it was not good.

Her mind started to spin and there it was! She could see her nightmare…the one she had shared only with Lucien. Only this time, these crows were right in front of her face, trying to attack her eyes. Freya closed them and put her hand over her face as she tried to block them out, just as another vision shot through her.

Only this one…was not at all part of her nightmares. She could see Marcel meeting up with Davina on Bourbon Street…and she could see herself spying on them and trying to figure out what they were saying.

 _"Marcel, this is the thousandth time I am asking you to stop being my babysitter!" "And this is the one of the numerous times that I have to tell you that you need me to look out for you, D. I always have and I am not going to stop." "I saw you hanging out with Vincent. Is that really how you show me your love and devotion? You become the enemy's sidekick?! He purposely had me taken down from my position as Regent!"_

" _He did it for your own good. You wouldn't have survived it there, trust me." "You agree with him?" "He says that you are still too young and I want to agree. You're not rational and you need years of practice on how to manipulate people and deduce what they think without using that type of magic of yours."_

 _"I am going to use my magic for something else. And if the coven and Vincent refuse to help me, I am going to do it myself." "Whoa! Hold on a minute there! What are you talking about? What are you planning on doing?" "When I became Regent, I thought that it would be my shot to bring Kol back and you know what? I figured out that I have all the power I need to do that. Anything else I need is that crystal."_

Freya gasped and she opened her eyes to see that Lucien was in her room, with his hands crossed over his chest, staring at her.

The witch gasped and she stood up immediately. "What the hell are you doing in my room?" "Sorry for the impolite entrance, love but it seems to me that you have really gotten your mind focused on perhaps…those nightmares you have so delicately shared with me. Perhaps you would like to share more."

Freya smirked and said, "Why would I want to do that? As far as you're concerned, you shouldn't be trusted."

"True…since I might be having some skeletons in my closet. However, I am inclined to believe that you need my help in this situation…I will gladly provide you with it, but you are going to have to trust me just a little bit more than that, love." Lucien whispered, stepping forwards until they were face to face.

Freya shook her head. "No…I think that I would rather stick to you being just a necessary acquaintance for now." But just as she tried to move, electricity coursed through her and she blacked out, on the ground.

…

"Jack." Hayley whispered silently as she stayed in the apartment with Hope in her arms. She hated how they left things off and how he practically told her that he preferred to be in the bayou with his true family rather than her. She placed Hope in her crib and walked outside the balcony for a moment.

There, she could see Klaus. The view was directly exactly into his Art Room and that was where he was at the moment, preparing a new canvas for expressing some new thoughts. Hayley watched him, thinking about their conversation in the bayou, thinking about his reaction to Jackson showing up and more…a lot more.

However, her eyes immediately darted over to the bayou, far out of the city. She was sensing something…her emotions were heightened as a hybrid now, after all.

She looked back towards Hope and saw that she was fast asleep. Taking a deep breath, she headed over to the hall in order to grab her coat. She could leave her baby there in peace. The house was protected and the Mikaelsons had great senses to detect anything if something went wrong, just as she herself sensed that something was going on.

Rushing into the bayou, she heard many explosions, and she could feel her no longer beating heart racing. She sensed it…and she could remember from the day the first bombarding started. This was bad. "JACKSON!" she heard herself screaming his name as she raced even faster.

The bombarding had stopped, but she could feel the agony and she could smell out the blood, as well as the howls of her people…who were either in pain or had lost someone.

It had started again…and this was probably not the last time her family would be attacked.

Hayley found herself in front of the huts. People were crying their eyes out.

Bodies were left out on the ground and Hayley felt her world fall apart when she saw him. He was laid down on the ground…his eyes open…staring up at the sky, but she knew that this wasn't the face of a conscious man. She let the tears fall and her mouth parted open in shock.

She couldn't move and she couldn't hear the desperate yells of the other wolves that were in pain. The only thing she could see was him…and she couldn't hear anything…nothing at all.

* * *

 **A/N: This story will move at a fast speed, so be warned. Also, it will not be as long as the rest of my stories. It is simply a different course direction for part of this season, which I would have taken for Klayley to begin their romance. I will be focusing more on Laws of Clarity, especially since this story has Frucien and what is happening on the show makes me sad about them.**

 **Thank you for reading and please leave me reviews!**


	6. The Jaw Of The Operation

**Previously, on Heart by Heart, Elijah and Klaus had a very special confrontation regarding Hayley and Gia's death, which forced the two Mikaelson sisters to intervene. Using Freya's magic, Elijah was able to meet Gia's soul, trapped between two worlds and trying to find answers for herself too. After learning about Davina's plan to bring back Kol whatever it took, Freya was patronized by Lucien who seemed eager to help her before he ended up electrocuting her. Finally, after hearing another explosion in the bayou, Hayley rushes there only to find herself in shock over her husband's fate.**

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 **PLOT: Freya wakes up from her blackout and is shocked to be caught up in Lucien's dirty tricks, but ones he guarantees are for her own good. Marcel and Vincent discover something shocking. Hayley faces the consequences as Klaus shows up in the bayou, finding more evidence of who is behind the bombarding and forcing him to take desperate measures to protect Hayley and her wolves. Meanwhile, Rebekah confronts Davina as they discover they have a common goal. Finally, on a night of grief, Klaus and Elijah come face to face with the enemy who is set out to destroy everything they hold dear.**

* * *

Freya gasped and opened her eyes. What she saw made her skin crawl. She was tied to a chair, unable to escape and above all, she was in a room she didn't know…with Lucien. She growled and tried to break herself loose but failed. Lucien smiled and shook his head.

"You may try that, darling, but it wont work." "What the hell do you think you're doing, Lucien?" Freya asked him, almost being certain at that moment that she was right and he had been plotting against them all this time. "Freya, I believe you said that you wanted my help…to understand and get rid of your nightmares. This is exactly what I am trying to do…if you would let me."

"Lucien, you are nothing but a psychotic freak and I promise you that if you don't let me go, I am going to make you wish you were dead." Lucien swirled his tongue in his mouth as he continued to watch her.

Afterwards, with a sigh, he rubbed his hands together and stepped over, untying her ropes and holding up his hands. "I know what you must be thinking…that I am the bad guy, right? You listen to me, witch princess…all I am trying to do is be helpful."

"And you think that it wouldn't strike any sort of suspicion in anyone around here? You arrived to warn my brother of threats and enemies at the perfect moment in his life. That would surprise or rather shock anyone in the right mind. Klaus used you for his won gain after he turned you. What interest would you possibly have to help him now?"

"Oh, love, I thought that we covered this aspect the last time we discussed this matter or are you simply too intrigued in my matters to let it go already? This is about you and your evil nightmares…not exactly about me now, right?" Freya stood up and faced him. Her hands were crossed over her chest and she was not smiling.

"Give me one reason as to why I would ever trust you with my life." "You don't have to trust me, but right now, I can confess and admit that I am the best chance you have at a normal and perfect goodnight sleep without these hellish nightmares. The choice is all yours. Do you want my help or do you prefer to leave this place?"

For the first time, Freya looked around and asked, "Where are we?" "In a garage I found not far away from the compound but not too close to it either…because I am pretty sure that if either Klaus or Elijah see me do this to you, they wouldn't exactly be as welcoming as they were before." "So you are doing something against my family's wishes, right?"

"It's the only way it can help you. And look…I have the pendant right here in my hand." He showed her the pendant which belonged to Aurora De Martel and Freya's eyes widened, leaning over to grab a hold of it immediately but Lucien pulled back with a smile.

"Nah, I don't think that you really want this, sweetheart." "I am not playing around! Give me back that pendant or I swear to God that I will jinx you to…" Freya started threatening him but Lucien chuckled and held on tightly to the pendant.

"This pendant…is the reason why you have all these nightmares…and visions." "Visions?" "Well you saw Davina and Marcel talking, didn't you?" "Yes but how do you know what I saw?"

"Funny thing…whenever I touch this pendant, I can somehow be able to observe all the creepy little things it has been hiding. It's quite fascinating when you think about it actually. And what is even more interesting was that I was able to catch a glimpse of that one poor soul who is stuck between the two worlds. Her name is Gia, isn't it? I personal lover of Elijah?" "For your own sake, don't mention her name in Elijah's presence."

"Alright. I will follow your advice, only if you follow mine."

"You think you have the right to negotiate with me?" Freya asked with a smirk. Lucien returned the smirk and stepped forward, caressing her cheek gently and then he placed a quick kiss on it, before holding up the pendant and saying, "It is this pendant indeed which causes you nightmares. In order to get rid of them completely, you will have to endure as much pain as possible."

"Pain? I am very used to that word but I don't exactly know how you will manage to make me feel any of that and I am also not sure that I want to allow you to hurt me. I am not a fool." "I know you aren't. Have I ever given you reason to think that, love?" Lucien smiled widely and Freya rolled her eyes, taking a seat on that chair and tying herself to it again.

"Fine. You can do it. But we are doing it n my terms and I swear to God that one foot out of line and you will wish you never laid eyes on me."

"Freya, sweetheart, regardless of the way you would jinx me with your magic, I do not believe that I would ever find it a possibility to forget a pretty face such as yours." He leaned down and started tying her legs as well as her arms to the chair.

"You have soft skin…please inform me of your various talents to keep it that way." He commented and Freya would have kicked him in the groin if she could move her legs. She leaned her head back and hissed, "Stop all your tease and get on with it. Or I promise you that Niklaus and Elijah will hear all about your little attempts to hurt their beloved sister."

"Very well…but I expect an instant prize for offering my services. You know nothing comes free in this world or any other world." "And I know you will receive a kick in the balls if you don't stop touching my bare legs." She snapped at him and Lucien pulled back his hands, chuckling.

"Dearest, don't tell me that you haven't felt the spark between us from the moment I entered that compound." He said leaning in so he was inches away from her lips.

"I still don't trust you and I am still convinced that you have an alternative moment for being here with my family. If you help me now, however, I might consider ignoring certain unpleasant aspects. Do you understand?" "Crystal. Let us get to work." He whispered and in a few moments, he was electrocuting her again and Freya screamed.

The picture of the pendant in her mind and then, she started seeing something else. Marcel and Vincent were in town and they were talking to each other.

 _"What did you call me here for?" Marcel asked with his hands crossed over his chest. He was still pissed because of the way Vincent humiliated Davina. "To talk about Cami's condition but also about something fascinating I found out about the pendant."_

 _Marcel took a seat at the coffee table, outside a shop and listened to what he had to say._

 _"What about Cami?" "I know that you still care for her and with her new vampire condition, she is becoming more and more vulnerable to danger for some reason. I am her friend so of course I am worried that she isn't getting the help she needs."_

 _"That's Klaus' responsibility, not ours." "Maybe…but don't tell me that you haven't noticed the way he has been avoiding his responsibilities for the sake of the mother of his child."_

 _"Hayley is dealing with a lot of pressure right now and all of it is connected to the same problems the Mikaelsons have. Of course Klaus pays attention to her and tries to protect her. The girl had to watch her own wolves die from a bombing some time ago. She needs all the support she can get."_

 _"Hmm…maybe. Or maybe that is just Klaus Mikaelson's way of showing interest in a completely different woman."_

 _Marcel rolled his eyes and whispered, "I doubt that Klaus would treat Cami that way." "You don't know in what way he would treat her." "Look man, I think we should just let them handle their own problems. And Hayley has her own deal with the wolves. Why don't you tell me about that pendant?"_

 _"You know Lucien Castle, that vampire who brought the pendant in the Mikaelson household in the first place?" "What about that idiot?" "I did a little research myself about him…got into contact with my own ancestors and it would seem that before he came here, he himself had been trapped in that pendant and the moment Gia died, he was able to escape."_

 _Marcel frowned and asked, "What the hell are you talking about? Are you saying that Lucien is the one responsible for Gia's death? It was Klaus who killed her. I know that for a fact."_

 _"I am not saying that he killed her. But he knew her death was coming. He somehow knew it and I suspect that he used that advantage to get himself freed. He helped trap Gia in there, in his place."_

Freya gasped and opened her eyes, feeling as if she had reached her surface and was now staring into the eyes of the man she was starting to suspect more and more. He held up his hands and stated, "Look, I know what you're going to say…" "You saw my visions?" Freya snapped. "That was the present, sweetheart and yes, I can see them, as long as I am holding the pendant in my hands, your nightmares and visions are open to me too."

"Then what the hell do you have to say for yourself? I knew that you had something to do with this! Let me go right now!" "You should not assume…alright fine. I'll let you go." He started untying her until she was finally free from that chair and could face him.

"I think I am really starting to understand why you want me to get rid of these nightmares so bad. Because they are actually showing me what you want to hide about yourself, isn't that right?"

"And you're exaggerating." "Are am I really? Then how exactly are you going to defend yourself of these charges when I am going to tell my brothers?" Freya asked. "You can tell them but that would only be a mistake for you." "Why? Because you have been trying to hide this for so long and you failed?" Lucien frowned and sighed, stepping closer and grabbing her hand in his.

"Sweetheart, you need to see things from my own perspective for once. Had I told you, Nik and the rest that I was the one trapped in that pendant before Gia, would you have given me the shot I have now? I don't think so. I came here because I have my own interests to keep. I am sired to Klaus Mikaelson, alright? And with Aurora and Tristan De Martel coming after him, I don't have a choice but to stay here and protect him from all that's coming. So you're right. After all Klaus has done, maybe I don't care whether he makes it out alive or now, but I do care about my life. So, I am here."

Freya frowned but eventually, she found herself somehow believing him.

"What about that pendant? You were trapped in it." "I didn't even know that pretty little woman Elijah has been fawning over. She just happened to release me when she died. But of course…you should have realized by now who was behind all of this madness, had you been the smart girl from the start, Freya." "Really? And who exactly is behind Gia's capture?"

Lucien smirked and responded, "The darling Aurora of course. She has a perfectly good reason to do so, does she not? Your brother left her and she wants revenge. I would have thought it was pretty obvious from the start for you." "And before you left her, did she tell you anything which can be considered important?"

"Just that she would be back in Klaus' life and with a vengeance." Lucien whispered.

…

Tears were constantly pouring out of her eyes and she felt as if she could barely breathe. Her body crashed to the ground as she gazed upon the non-living face of her husband. Jackson was gone…he was dead. The words continued playing inside her mind as she closed her eyes and mourned him as did the rest of the surviving wolves.

"HAYLEY!" his voice exclaimed from behind and she found her strength to open her eyes, stinging with tears and the anger boiling up inside of her. Klaus was standing there, his eyes wide with shock but determination and anger could be seen as well. Hayley got back up on her feet but she felt like jelly.

With her heart pounding, she almost hit the ground again but Klaus caught her in time, staring at her face in awe. "Love…"

"He's dead. Klaus, he's gone." She whispered and leaned her head on his chest. Klaus opened his mouth to say something but hearing her sob and seeing her this weak in his arms for the first time.

He engulfed her in his arms and pressed his mouth to her ear, whispering, "You need to be strong, little wolf. I will handle this. I will handle everything." Hayley pulled her head back so she could look at him.

"I can't bear to look at him anymore. I need him to be moved. Please, Klaus. Whoever did this…" "Whoever did this shall pay with her life…I promise you that." "Her?" "Aurora." Klaus responded. "I will kill her. I need to be…I need to kill her."

Her rage was building up, along with her pain and Klaus could see that clearly. The moment he saw her in true pain, he recognized himself in her.

"We need help! Please help us! We can't stay here! First my son…my whole family…I will lose them if we stay here!" the woman who lost her son the first time the bombing happened stated. Her face was blotched and she was approaching the pair cautiously.

Hayley nodded slowly but could not find any words to say to the poor woman, because now she knew what she had felt when she lost her son. She had just lost her husband, a husband who had loved her very much.

"The church." Klaus responded. Hayley looked up at him questioningly as he held onto her now fragile body. "What?" "The church, love. It's the only possible place where the wolves are to be safe." Hayley whimpered and then wiped away her tears before whispering, "Why not the compound? What are you doing, Klaus?"

The Original Hybrid turned to the wolf woman and stated, "I suspect that we have a traitorous bastard in our compound who has been helping our enemy plant bombs in this bayou. I will personally make sure that I find him before the attacker can strike again. But for now, you all need to be safe." His eyes then went back to Hayley's face and he watched her intensely.

She took deep breaths and then closed her eyes. Without thinking twice about his actions, he leaned down and pressed a kiss on her forehead. She felt this gesture and smiled sadly, holding him closer to her as she buried her head in his chest again. She hated being seen this fragile.

She was the wolves' Queen. There were people depending on her. But with Klaus, she didn't feel the need to hide these emotions…because he understood.

"We should go now. Trust me, love. Just trust me." Klaus instructed and Hayley nodded, looking up into his orbs. "Where is Hope?" "She is with the family. Not to worry, little wolf. She will always be safe from harm." "What about the…um…body?"

"I shall handle that also. You take your family and you go to the church immediately. I will be there as soon as I can. Simply do not look back, little wolf. Do not look back." He advised her and then he finally let go of her. Hayley looked at the woman standing in front of her. "We should be moving. Klaus is right. Our best chance is to leave the bayou. The enemies will not stop until this pack will be on the brick of extinction. If we don't change something, Jackson will not be our only loss."

"Oh we cannot lose you too!" the woman exclaimed in tears and grabbed her hand.

Hayley turned to the rest of the wolves who were now dirty, hurt and frightened.

She caught a glimpse of Klaus piking up Jackson's body and taking him away. She looked away and then she ordered her people to follow her out of the bayou and head over to the church, where she knew that she would find not only a safe place to stay but also guidance.

She needed to be strong now. She needed to continue being strong for her daughter and not back out. Her heart couldn't let go of Jackson just yet and she knew that she had rage inside which would not be extinguished anytime soon. She would find this Aurora…and she would kill her.

…

Davina stood up and frowned as she saw that the church was suddenly flooded with people…and not just any people…they were wolves, the wolves from the bayou. She was prepared to confront them, when she saw Rebekah talking to the new priest. "Hey, what is going on? What are the Crescents doing here?" the little witch asked and the two turned to look at her.

"The bayou has been attacked once again, I'm afraid and it seems that an alpha was killed in the process. Klaus Mikaelson is asking me to shelter the wolves in the House of God." The priest responded softly.

Davina turned to Rebekah, who said, "I have to speak with you." She grabbed a hold of Davina and walked her away from the priest. "I guess that you want something from me, right?"

"You guessed right, love. I happen to have heard from Marcel that you are planning on bringing back my brother, Kol, and using any means necessary, am I right?"

"Yes…and why does Marcel have to tell you everything that I talk to him about?" Davina scoffed and pulled her hand away as Rebekah smiled. "Because, sweetheart, Marcel and I still have a tight bond, even if we are not together in the romantic sense." "But he still loves you. That is always clear and it's never going to change." Davina responded.

Rebekah sighed and stated, "Are we going to talk about Kol or aren't we?" "What do you want to know?" "Exactly how you are planning on bringing my brother back. I have witchcraft knowledge. I think I can be of assistance since this is my brother we are talking about."

"What I need to bring him back is something that I can't get." Rebekah smirked and crossed her hands over her chest. "And what would that be?" "The Sanctus Diamond." "The Sanctus Diamond? What is that?"

"A diamond of purity. That's how they call it. It's very small but it has great power left by the ancestors. For now, it is lost but it can be recovered. I have seen it…using the pendant your sister has."

Rebekah sighed and then she remembered the conversation she had overhead between Elijah and Vincent. The same diamond Davina needed, was needed in order to save Gia and end the plan of the enemy to trap another soul into that pendant and extract all the power of the supernaturals on Earth. "Oh…that diamond." Rebekah whispered.

"Yeah…is something wrong?" Davina asked, noticing Rebekah's hesitation. _Family comes first, Elijah. Always and forever._ Rebekah remembered telling him that once and she still agreed to it.

Regardless of what Gia represented for him, Kol represented more. And he was the Mikaelson brother in need to be saved. She had to do this for her family. "I think I know who has that diamond and I know that when this enemy arrives in New Orleans, I am going to get my hands on it so we can save Kol together." The statement made Davina smile.

"I always knew that you were the smart Mikaelson sister. So thank you for helping me. How do you know where the diamond is?" "Because I know Niklaus. I pay attention to his words. The person who has been behind the bombing in the bayou and responsible for the peace disrupted in this city is the former lover of his, Aurora De Martel."

Davina frowned. "And she is coming back…to New Orleans?" "For all we know, she is here already…plotting her next move."

"And now the wolves are in danger." Davina replied. "Yes. They have lost much already, as Hayley lost her husband." Rebekah explained to her. The two turned to see Hayley sitting on one of the benches, alone, with her hands over her face, as the rest of the wolves were standing behind her, with their hands over their mouths, either whispering to each other or in simple shock of what they have endured.

Hayley took deep breaths and wiped her tears away, looking up, just as she heard him from behind. She stood up and faced him. His face showed sympathy for her sorrow, but certainly, he wanted to show that he was in power and that he would not let any harm come to her or the wolves. Hayley cleared her throat and whispered, "Has the body been…taken?" she could barely find her words.

Klaus didn't say a word. He simply looked down at her face and then leaned over to cup her cheek. She didn't spill anymore tears. Her eyes remained captivated in his. "Say something. Please." Hayley finally said softly.

"I have…I have chosen a spot for Jackson. He shall rest in peace…and you will have the possibility to visit him whenever you wish. As for this moment, little wolf…you must turn around and see what you have following your lead…an army and a family. It is yours and you are to lead them as a Queen should. Remain in mourning now but only for a little while." "You know who did this to me, don't you? You know, Klaus and…"

"And I have already explained to you that Aurora De Martel shall be punished. I will see to it." "I don't think that you will do much." Hayley responded and pulled away from him.

"I beg your pardon?" Klaus asked, confused of the way she was rejecting his presence all of a sudden. "She's pissed at you, Klaus! She's pissed at you this Aurora woman you keep talking about! I don't know what to think of this only except that I and along with my pack are suffering the consequences of your actions. Would this Aurora have really come after us if you hadn't pissed her off the way you have?"

"Hayley, you need to understand…" "I don't need to understand anything, Klaus. I need you to understand that I am not going to go forth like this. I will not have you jeopardize the peace I have created among the wolves."

Klaus stared at her and then turned back around to look at the others watching their dispute. "You are making a scene over nothing, little wolf. But I will let you have at it…I will let you mourn your husband in peace." He grabbed a hold of her hand for a few more moments before he stepped back and walked away from her.

Hayley let a few more tears drop as she realized what mistake she had made. Jackson's death was not his fault and she was blaming everything on him. She was upset with the constant way he was making enemies which would come after all of them. But she knew that he didn't deserve that speech.

"Klaus!" she called out to him and quickly ran forth so that she could tell him, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean what I said."

"No, that is quite alright, little wolf. You are upset. You are in clear mourning and no one should take that opportunity from you. You may stay here, rest, scream and cry for as long as you wish…and look after your pack. They only have you to lead them to safety."

"Where are you going?" "To see Elijah. I feel Aurora is here already. We have to apprehend her at once before she causes anymore damage."

"Will Gia be brought back?" Hayley asked. Klaus smirked and whispered, "Why do you ask? Worried that perhaps Elijah will…" He stopped talking at once. Her eyes had turned hard cold and he realized his mistake. "Love, forgive me." He said again and stopped her palm from slapping across his face.

"Maybe I shouldn't." "I tend to…" "Well maybe you shouldn't! And to ease your paranoia because that is what you're always concerned about, there is nothing between Elijah and I!" she snapped at him. "Freya will determine what there is to be done about Gia. You stay here and I will see Elijah. Goodbye, love."

He kissed her forehead again and backed towards the door of the church, where Rebekah was waiting for him. "Hey, what was that all about?" "What do you mean?" "With Hayley. You seemed very…"

"I am not interested in your analysis on my relationship with the women in my life now, sister. Aurora is here and she has gone too far. I want you to stay with Hayley. I am calling Elijah at this moment. I will trace the smell of the perfume she has left for us."

"Perfume?" Rebekah asked, frowning. "Yes, the perfume, sister. I know her scent and she is leaving it all over town for me to find. She is playing games…but unfortunately for her, I am not in the mood." "What will you do if you find her?" "When I find her, sister, I am going to kill her." Rebekah nodded, but still seeming unsure.

"Doubts?" "Of course…you and Aurora have had a past which…it cannot be easily forgotten, brother." "And that past remains a past. She is a threat to my child and the people I care for. I am putting a stop to everything today."

…

After picking up Elijah from the compound, Klaus offered the directions as to where his former lover was located. "I didn't wish to tell you much about the perfume she has been letting loose but…" Elijah looked pissed as he stopped his brother from walking. "You have kept something very important from us, Niklaus and Jackson had paid for it with his life."

"And now you are going to blame me for the lover of your lover's death?" Klaus snapped at him. "Niklaus, if we have to redo the Hayley conversation, I believe that we are past that. I have already explained to you…"

"QUIET!" Klaus growled at him and then let himself smell something in the air.

"I can smell her already…she is close by and most likely laughing at our preposterous argument. Come along."

They started walking once again and Elijah looked at his brother constantly. There was a change…something clearly visible on his face. The anger he held was not towards Aurora and what she had done. The anger was simply directed towards something else entirely.

"Niklaus…I am going to ask you this once…do you hold certain feelings for Hayley?" Klaus entered the restaurant and ignored his brother's question, by pretending that he had not heard it at all. The moment they entered, Elijah's senses started giving him Aurora's known scent too. "Yes, you are completely right. She is here."

"I am everywhere, sweet Elijah!" a girl's voice filled the air and both Klaus and Elijah's necks snapped in the left direction, where Aurora De Martel, was sitting at a table, with a glass of wine in her hand.

She was still as radiant as ever and her face had not been forgotten by Klaus all this time. "Aurora." Klaus whispered and her face softened, as she stood up. "Hello, my sweet love." The innocence in her voice made Klaus smirk at her failed attempt to soften him up, like she used to do all the time.

Only this time, he was one step ahead and he rushed forward, ignoring his brother's protest and grabbed Aurora by the neck, slamming her against the wall, glaring at her with nothing but spite. "For all the wolves you have killed today and the last time, love…you shall pay." Aurora immediately managed to push him away.

"Still caring for the wolf girl you have a child with, I see. Those wolves deserved their deaths. Had you been the person you were years ago, you would have agreed with me."

"And there you have it, love! I am still me, just a better version…and one not foolish enough to care for your foul words towards the mother of my child." Silence filled the room, as Aurora cleared her throat and people started appearing from behind her and all around the restaurant, surrounding the two Mikaelsons.

"I have been meaning to introduce you to these wonderful people, Niklaus! They are my family…raised by me and nurtured by me…well with some help from my brother, of course. But…they are what I like to call my army. Meet The Strix!"

Klaus looked towards Elijah, who had a stupefied expression on his face. He knew well of the Strix and he knew that Aurora was lying about who raised them and nurtured them in the first place.

"I know why you are here, lover! And before you make the mistake of thinking that you can just as easily kill me…you should remember what I have to offer…and what would happen to the poor woman I have trapped in my very special locket…and one another soul which would complete the ritual…you can't know who the soul is without me alive to tell you. Or maybe I won't tell you. The point is…you cannot win this time. Not while me and my own family are here."

Aurora snapped her fingers and an African American woman stepped forward. Elijah recognized her well. And she was holding Marcel from the back, with a dagger over his heart, ready to plunge it through.

* * *

 **A/N: For this story, nothing is planned. I just go with the flow whenever I have inspiration. It will not be a story of more than 12 chapters but it will feature more of The Strix, Aurora and introducing Tristan in the picture too. And Lucien will start having a more important role too.**

 **Thank you for reading and please leave me reviews!**


	7. Destructive Lips

**In the previous chapter, Freya had been stuck in a garage with Lucien leading her nightmares away, or that is at least what he claimed. She envisioned Vincent and Marcel discussing the Cami situation but also how Lucien himself had been trapped in the pendant before Gia took his place. Afterwards, Hayley took her moment to grieve Jackson's death as the rest of the wolves took refuge in the church, on Klaus' command. Rebekah figured out Davina's plan to resurrect Kol, but with the possibility of not bringing back Gia. Finally, Klaus and Elijah came face to face with Aurora, as she held Marcel as her prisoner.**

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 **PLOT: Klaus and Elijah deal with Aurora and The Strix, as she reveals more about the diamond she possesses but also offers hints of who the next soul which is to join Gia in the pendant, could be. Unsure with the decision she must make between Kol and Gia, Rebekah finds her safe haven where she meets someone she never expected to. Meanwhile, Hayley, while taking care of her wolves, receives an important message from Vincent, which forces her to come face to face with her enemy. Finally, after a moment of truth of some hidden feelings, Freya is forced to accept a reality about Lucien.**

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Klaus made sure not to gasp the moment he saw with his own eyes that Marcel had once again been taken captive by an enemy. "Your adoptive son…he must mean something to you, right?" Aurora asked, as she titled her head to one side in order to observe the connection Klaus and Marcel truly had as mentor and apprentice, father and son. "Let him go now, love. You do not need him."

Klaus informed her with a bored tone, making sure not to indicate any worry that Marcel was in grave danger. Aurora smirked at him and shook her head. "I know what games you play, my love. I have watched you for centuries even though you didn't know where I was."

"And now that you have shown your true colors, perhaps we should leave these formalities aside and focus on what it is that you really want. Let Marcel go and maybe we can have a normal and quite entertaining discussion. Perhaps just the two of us…in a more…sophisticated and quiet place." Klaus explained and he put on that seductive smirk on his face as he approached Aurora with caution.

He had known her for a long time and now that she was here…on his territory…he could play her easily. Aurora looked tough to crack, but Klaus had the necessary instruments.

"I truly have missed you, my love." Aurora finally whispered and caressed his cheek. Elijah watched them for a moment before finally understanding what was going on. His eyes wandered over to Aya, the woman he had known so well in the past.

The woman he had turned, but the woman with whom he has had a serious relationship. "Aya…" He started softly but the woman started to plunge the dagger inside Marcel, making him scream. "No, don't! Please!" Elijah called out to her.

The woman frowned and then whispered, "For years, I was searching for you and I never found you. You used me, Elijah…and then you threw me away, like I meant nothing."

"You tend to exaggerate. Of course at a moment in my life, you meant everything to me. You know what happened and you know why I had to leave." Elijah responded, softly, stepping forward to her. Aya was letting her grip on Marcel looser and looser and once Elijah was in front of her, she finally let Marcel go so that she could look into her former lover's eyes.

"You said that we would be a forever type f thing but we weren't. What do you have to say for yourself?" "Only that I apologize immensely and that I am willing to make amends now that you are here." Elijah said and caressed her face. Aya looked like she was complying and Elijah had her right where he wanted her.

"Poor Elijah…you really broke her heart when you left her, but since she and I are both here and my brother is coming backs soon…maybe we should get to know one another like we once used to. Niklaus…what do you say to that, my love?" Aurora asked and looked towards him.

Elijah was also staring at his brother, anticipating his next move. Klaus smirked and pulled Aurora too him and kissed her cheek gently, whispering, "I do look forward to spending some personal time with you. However, you must understand that I along with the people who follow me in this city are still quite unclear of your intentions. Isn't that right, Marcel?" Klaus turned around to look at him.

Marcel, on the other hand, looked completely lost at what was going on and he was looking for reason. "Klaus, what the hell are you trying to pull here? Are you welcoming her here with open arms? Just like that? She killed half the wolves in the bayou! Hayley's people. Her own family, remember?"

Klaus showed no emotions on his face as he still kept Aurora close to him. "I understand that. Which is the reason why I am offering Aurora here the chance to explain herself. To be quite frank, I had never been very fond of those mutts in the bayou. I only had to tolerate them for Hayley's sake and for the sake of maintaining peace. But now that Jackson, their alpha is finally gone, I don't see how they will have any type of force to challenge me again."

Aurora smiled up at him like he was the victorious warrior that she once knew. "I knew that there was still this side of you who always had an excuse for everything. I killed those wolves to send a message. I was angry at the way you used me, Niklaus. I wanted to avenge myself and Tristan."

Klaus turned back to her and whispered, "You need not do that, because just as my dear brother profession to his darling Aya that he is looking to make amends, I tend to do just that in my relationship with you." Klaus looked around and noticed that The Strix were taking a step back from their position to attack now.

Elijah turned to them and stated, "I created you all! And I have let you down! I can assure you that now that you have returned to me, you shall be rewarded for your courage and for the way you have managed to look past my mistakes! I happen to be very pleased that you have all found me so we can be the family of vampires that we once were!"

The Strix looked pleased with their creator's response and especially Aya. Marcel was the only one out of this circle of happiness and he couldn't understand what was happening. "You've gone insane! What about Cami?" he finally exclaimed.

"Who is Cami?" Aurora snapped and looked up at Klaus who was smirking and shaking his head. "She is no one, sweetheart. Simply a woman I had been together with for a while now." "You were together with her?" Aurora asked again, in shock.

"Yes…I was. But how can I stay with her…knowing that perhaps the still fragile heart that I have…goes out to you, love?" Marcel left the restaurant in the speed of lightening. Klaus looked after him, concerned, but Aurora pulled his face down to her and kissed him.

For the sake of his plan working, he kissed her right back. A different form…a different woman appeared in his mind while he was kissing his former lover. It was not Cami however. He saw the mother of his child, the woman he was beginning to feel more than simple care towards a family member.

Sighing, he pulled back from the kiss and Aurora placed her hands on either side of his neck, with a grin on her face. "Maybe Tristan was wrong after all. Maybe you do deserve a second chance from me." "I do, but…if we are to trust each other, love…you must inform me of your plan."

She sighed and rolled her eyes. "After not seeing each other for a millennium…you want to talk about my plan?" "I simply wish to understand." "Does your brother still care for the girl I have captive in my pendant?" "I believe he does. Just like Aya, Gia was a lover of his." "But if this girl comes back, will Elijah be tempted to choose her over Aya?" Aurora asked him.

Klaus needed to be careful with his answer. He knew he needed more insight on what she was planning but he could not reveal his brother's devotion to Gia, at the same time. Not while he was trying to romance Aya again.

"Love, I am not exactly a mind reader and my brother's mind is even fuzzier than you might think it to be. I do not know what his intentions are. However, I do know mine…and as soon as I have a discussion with Cami…we can recover what we once lost." "So you will truly leave her for me?"

"Of course. And to show my love for you…you must come and see something in the compound…a painting…I have kept hidden behind a wall for thousands of years. A painting of you…something which I hope symbolizes that I have not forgotten you."

"Oh, that is quite grand. I cannot wait to see it." "As I recall…you must have mentioned a diamond." "Yes. What about it?" "What are you planning on doing with it?" "Oh, it is quite simple, my love. A single diamond can connect me to any living being on this Earth, even the supernaturals. It shall grant me and my brother the power we need to become just like you. Maybe not hybrids but…Original Vampires." Aurora explained with a smile.

Klaus did his best to cover the shock on his face and to smile back at her. "Is that so? You would enjoy to share the power of an Original?"

"I want to be just as powerful as you are. I want us to have fun together and not worry about anything the future holds for us. Do you not want me to be the woman who is your equal in all aspects?" Aurora asked him with a frown.

"Of course I do, sweetheart. However, you know my sentiments towards your brother are not quite…" "And I can assure you that Tristan is not the man that he once was. He has changed for the better and he was quite pleased to know that we are here. He is coming as well."

"And what of Gia's soul? As far as I know, you need another soul which resembles hers to complete the transition." Klaus asked her and Aurora smirked and winked.

"Now, maybe you can understand why I had to create such havoc in that bayou. The soul I need must be tarnished on the inside…just as young Gia was before she got absorbed in that pendant. Now…let us leave that little experiment on the side and focus on the present. And in this present…I want…to meet a very hot bed with you." Aurora whispered the last part.

Klaus looked towards his brother, who had his arm wrapped around Aya's lower back. They gave each other warning looks. What they were doing was risky, but at this point, it was the only way to keep the city safe from any more war it could endure.

The wolves had already suffered and especially Hayley. Just thinking about her, made Klaus' heart ache. And now that he was intending on keeping his relationship with Aurora, something had to be done about Cami.

And he knew…even more now…that his relationship with Cami had had a purpose for his own satisfaction as well, not necessarily that he could see a true future alongside her.

…

"Oh for God's sake!" Rebekah exclaimed as she looked over at her phone and noticed that neither Niklaus nor Elijah were answering her calls. The thought of it was frustrating. She needed to tell them about Davina's plans to brig back Kol.

But for a few moments, she wasn't sure that she was doing the right thing by telling them. What would happen if she did?

She knew exactly what. She would drive a wedge between the two brothers again. She knew that Niklaus would be all for bringing back Kol, but Elijah would be against it, wanting to bring Gia back at all costs. Rebekah felt like she needed to make this decision herself.

But what was the right decision?

Was it alright to give up on Gia when she could make Elijah the happiest man on Earth and who could actually show him a life outside of the worries of their family? But what about her poor brother, Kol? He surely was a pain but they were family. Always and forever. Or was there another way to bring back her brother? Rebekah sat down on the fields.

She was on the outskirts of the city. It was her most favorite place…the one where she would sit and watch the sunset or sunrise years ago. There was no place like it. She looked over at her phone and thought about calling Hayley but then she changed her mind, knowing that she would only upset the she wolf even more.

The girl was in pain over losing her husband, even if she didn't truly love him, the way he had loved her.

Not long after, her thoughts trailed off to Aurora De Martel, the person Niklaus had told her, had been behind all of these secret attacks. She remembered well her past with the girl and how she had tricked her into becoming a vampire. Rebekah couldn't hold anymore pity for her. That was long gone. After all she had done…she didn't deserve to be forgiven.

Taking a deep breath, she put away her phone and continued to stare at the sunset, when she heard a voice which sent her chills. "Rebekah." She turned to the voice with a gasp and noticed his handsome features. He looked the same…as though just yesterday, they were in that Lord's house and in his arms.

"Tristan!" she snapped and took deep breaths to calm herself. She didn't know whether she was mad or confused or…all she knew was that someone who had meant a lot to her, was now standing before her and she didn't like it.

He had always made her nervous and unsure of herself. "Have you hardened yourself completely towards me, my love?" he asked her and stepped forward but she stepped back immediately.

"Please don't!" She nearly ordered him and he stopped, staring at her in awe. "Why not? I am back! I am here to make peace with your brothers. From what Aurora has just confirmed to me, Niklaus has welcomed her back with welcome arms. Can you not welcome me?"

"What?" Rebekah asked, in shock. Why would her brother do such a thing? He was clear when he said that he was going to kill that harlot. What had changed? Had she really managed to seduce him that well? But what would she do about Tristan? She was still in shock but he came forward to her, pulled her into his arms and kissed her passionately.

Rebekah moaned and pulled him closer to her by holding onto his neck. He was gorgeous and the same passionate man she had fallen in love with such a long while ago. But he had been a bloody killer…who had fallen in love with a maiden he thought was pure, but no…she was a monster herself.

But he didn't care when he found out. He had still shown love and devotion to her that he had not shown anyone but his own sister, at the time. And as she watched Elijah turn him into a vampire in order to make him impersonate him, just like she had compelled Aurora to impersonate her, she didn't know whether she was to be pleased that he was immortal like her or saddened that she would never see him again.

But now, he was before her. Tristan pulled back from their kiss and looked at her adoringly. "You are not happy that I am here." "No…Tristan…I just…I can't believe it." "You are forgiven because of the love I still bear for you. As for your brothers…if they comply…they are to be forgiven too for their actions."

"Tristan, I never wanted to do anything to hurt you. You know that. Things didn't go as planned at that time. And we were all frightened because we were too used to running from our father. But thankfully, you have been well."

"Oh yes, I have been well. And I have thrived. I may have been a simple Lord in those times but now, I am a Vampire Lord, in charge of leading The Strix. I am sure you remember the lot your brother and my sire, Elijah, created."

"The Strix? They are back?" Rebekah asked. "We are all back and we ask for nothing but support for a new beginning. So let us have our new beginning, Rebekah."

He kissed her again and she put her hands on his chest. "Wait…what about your sister? Why has she attacked those wolves in the bayou? Do you claim to not know anything about her killing their alpha and Hayley Marshall's husband? Tristan, what have you done?" Rebekah asked him, shocked.

"Damage which cannot be fixed for the Werewolf Queen, that I can understand, but Jackson Kenner was no alpha deserving of such a pack. Perhaps this is the opportunity for the wolves to find better. However, I do not wish to come in contact with those…animals…whilst I am here."

"And how long do you plan on being here for?" Tristan smirked down at her, picked up her hand and kissed it. "For as long as I am needed in this city, by my allies and my sister…but also…for as long as I am wanted by you."

Rebekah continued to look Tristan in the eyes. This was him…her Tristan from the past and his charming personality had not changed. Could she truly offer him a chance? She knew of his past reputation and that someday, maybe he would avenge himself for all the suffering he was placed by her family…but she was never the one to resist him.

He was perfect for her. In her eyes, he was the first man who had made her feel lust, passion and maybe even love. But almost as soon as their lips touched again with smiles on their faces, she could see Marcel's face.

…

"Where should we go now? Our home is destroyed, milady." A small girl was asking her softly, tugging on her clothes. Hayley looked down at her and then smiled lightly, whispering, "Do not call me that. Call me Hayley, sweetheart. And don't worry. We will find a way to protect you. And in the meantime, we have to get rid of the bad guys. Okay?"

"Okay." The girl agreed and then she went back to her mother, who was trying hard not to cry. Her home had meant a lot to her and now, it had been destroyed. Hayley had gone back to the priest in order to obtain more help from him.

The priest, who took over the church after Kieran's death, looked over at her and whispered, "You truly have the heart of a Queen, child. I can understand why these people follow you."

Hayley smiled but shook her head. "I was born in a royal family. That is why they follow me. I was not chosen by them, Father. I was simply meant to lead them from birth, as a Labonair."

"And so you shall. You shall lead them. And eventually, you shall receive the happiness you so desire." Hayley simply smiled at him and then brought her people more food.

Running a hand through her hair, she thought about Klaus and his words…but then she wet back to the bench and sat on it, reflecting on what she was to do now. Hope needed her mother at home. Maybe she would have felt better if she had her baby daughter with her.

Her phone suddenly buzzed and she looked down, grabbing it from her pocket and she looked over at the message Vincent, the new Witch Elder, had left her. _Something has happened to Marcel. I have sensed it. Klaus and Elijah Mikaelson are not answering their phones. Do something._

Hayley frowned at this message. She looked back at her people and then instructed the priest to take good care of them. Hearing about the possibility of Marcel, Klaus and Elijah being in danger of some sort, made her want to investigate. And just like Vincent had told her, Klaus was not answering his phone. Neither was Marcel.

Rushing to the compound, she looked over at the compelled lady who was watching her daughter and then she rushed to the dining room, where she saw vampires…celebrating. But these weren't the vampires she had known at the compound. They were others. And they were staring at her strangely.

Hayley raised her chin and walked through them and her heart stopped when she saw that Klaus was laughing and drinking with a young red head. She was giggling, blushing and placing various kisses on his cheek. Elijah was also looking like he was having fun…but Marcel was nowhere to be found.

Anger washed over her. There had been a tragedy in the bayou…Jackson was dead…and all Klaus could think about was throwing a party? What shocked her even more was Cami, who was in her room, crying her eyes out and packing her bags.

"What the hell is going on here? Where are you going?" Hayley asked her as she barged into her room.

"Better ask Klaus over there! He seems to be very happy that redhead whore over there! First there was Genevieve, and now it's her! He said that he needs to be with her…said something about us lacking whatever connection. And then he told me to leave for my own safety. The bastard! I can't believe I ever gave him a chance!" Cami cried out and finished packing her bags, leaving.

"Cami, you are not making any sense! Who are these people? They are not from here! I have never seen them before in New Orleans!" "Goodbye, Hayley!" Cami snapped at her and left with her vampire speed.

Turning around, Hayley ran into the dinning room again but this time, she ran straight towards Klaus, who was looking surprised that she was there.

"Oh…is this the mother of that precious Hope?" Aurora asked, taking a sip of her drink. "You keep your filthy hands off my child, do you understand me?" Hayley warned her and Aurora frowned, setting down her drink. She stepped forward to her, ready for an attack, but Klaus stopped her. "Sweetheart…let me handle this matter, hmm?" he whispered into her ear but Hayley heard it all. She felt her heart break into millions of pieces.

"Hayley, come with me!" Klaus snapped at her in a more ordering tone and grabbed a hold of her arm, speeding them away from the dining room.

"Let go of me!" Hayley hissed and pushed into his chest as they were finally in the nursery. Klaus placed his finger to his lips and then walked back to the door, sensing whether or not anyone could hear them.

"How dare you?! How can you do this to me? Are you that heartless? And why the hell have you made Cami leave? Wasn't she your precious lover around here?" "Little wolf…nothing is as it seems. Nothing." "Who is she, Klaus? Who is she and what is she doing here?" "Aurora De Martel." Klaus responded.

"What? Are you telling me that…that you…Klaus…you hold the bitch that killed Jackson in this house? You…" She started to push him away from her but he held her tightly until he finally pressed his lips to her ear and whispered, "I have to do this, love. In order to prevent war. The city cannot handle it. Not after the tragedies in the bayou. Elijah is well aware of my plan to keep Aurora busy for now…as he does the same."

He pulled back and looked into her eyes. Hayley them before she reopened them and then she asked, "For how long? How long do I have to keep myself from ripping her throat out?"

"Let me handle this. Please, love. You are in mourning and your personal feelings are clouding your judgment. I promise you that I will not let her near Hope anymore if it makes you feel uncomfortable."

"What about Cami? She didn't look at all aware of this plan when she walked out of here. Why didn't you tell her too?" "Because…because this was my own opportunity to break things off with her, love."

"Break things off with her? Why would you want that?" Hayley asked, exasperated. "Simply because I cannot see a future for the two of us. Surely, you can understand."

Hayley stared at him and then whispered, "Fine. It is none of my business. Just keep that whore away from me and from Hope too. Do what you need to do…but she will end up dead, Klaus. She better end up dead."

The tears had appeared in her eyes again and she kept herself from breaking down. Frowning, he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her in for a hug. Hayley graciously accepted it and let the tears flow in silence. She felt comfort in his arms, like she never had before. And she did trust him.

"I shall end this matter…faster than you can imagine. Have faith, little wolf."

…

Freya gasped and opened her eyes again. Only this time, she was not tied up to that chair anymore. And she was no longer in the garage. Opening her eyes even wider, she looked up to see Lucien, who was standing in front of the window and he was talking on the phone with someone.

"Sweet Aurora, I am very pleased for you. However, I have some business on my own to take care of so that might leave you alone to party tomorrow. Yes of course…everything is going as planned."

He ended the call and turned around to see Freya staring at him. "Ah! You're awake, love." Freya immediately got out of the bed and noticed that she had been dressed in something else.

"You pervert." She whispered with her eyes closed and Lucien smirked, "I guarantee you that I made sure I would not observe your most intimate parts, dear Freya. I can promise you that."

"And Aurora…whom you were referring to about a plan on that phone…care to explain?" she asked him and Lucien smirked and shook his head. "No need to be jealous."

"Don't get all sappy with me. Jealousy has nothing to do with it. So you admit, you're a traitorous bastard. You admit that you have been plotting behind our backs to bring Aurora back into the city."

"As a matter of fact…she claims that Nik has graciously accepted her back and that they are planning on throwing a party tomorrow night, inviting Tristan as well. Everything is in order. And yes, sweetheart…I have been planning on bringing Aurora, her brother and the whole Strix family into the city. It's not only for my own personal gain but for your family's too."

Freya parted her mouth for a moment and then she whispered, "You are playing on both sides, aren't you? You are not on any side, just on yours." Lucien smiled and grabbed her hands in his, while she was still in shock. "And that bothers you greatly, I see. Why don't you jinx me, dear Freya?"

The witch pulled back her hands and hissed, "I honestly should!" "No…I don't believe you would, however." Lucien said and stepped closer to her, lightly kissing her cheek and making her head spin for a moment. He was playing with her. He had to be playing with her. Otherwise, she couldn't explain it.

"I believe I have done already everything possible to get you rid of these hellish nightmares. They will not be bothering you for the time being so, you may leave." "You will not let me leave. If I do…you know what will happen, Lucien. You will be thrown out of this city as fast as…"

"One thing I do know is that your brothers are currently romancing the women from their past. I find that to be very intriguing but at the same time very disturbing. As for where my allegiance truly lies, you cannot determine it unless you have solid evidence, love. I shall be doing all that I can to fulfill my needs whilst you need to find out more about Aurora's little experiment. You still have her pendant…one she will most likely look for now that she is here. And now, maybe you should realize that I am not the only man in your life who is not being completely honest with you. We live in a world where secret alliances are made for the greater good, as well as betrayals…tough ones to handle. Handle your brothers…I will handle my business and who knows what the result shall be."

Eventually, he speeded out of that apartment and for the first time, Freya realized that she was at the Palace Royale, in the penthouse which he preferred to call his personal home while he was not at the compound. What the hell was he up to?

Was he truly betraying her and her brothers in favor of Aurora like she believed he was? On the far left side of a table, she could see Aurora's pendant, just lying there, waiting for someone to grab a hold of it.

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 **A/N: Klaus and Elijah's plan is pretty clear, but Lucien's isn't. Do you think that he is going to let his infatuation with Aurora get the best of him and make him plot against the Mikaelsons or does he have a secret agenda? And what is the reason why Freya couldn't bring herself to jinx him, I wonder? ;)**

 **Thank you for reading and please leave me reviews!**


	8. You Don't Know Me

**Previously, on Heart by Heart, Klaus and Elijah decided to stick to their own plan of romancing Aurora and respectively Aya in order to gain the trust of The Strix and offer them hope for a better future. In doing so, Klaus received an opportunity to break off ties with Cami, while Rebekah reunited with her past lover, Tristan. Hayley was informed by Vincent about the strange assurances and she confronted Klaus about it, only to learn about the plan set in motion. Eventually, Freya became unsure of Lucien's loyalty and future plans as her feelings towards him changed.**

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 **PLOT: Early in the compound, Hayley and Aurora have a big disagreement regarding Hope, while Klaus confronts Lucien about Freya's sudden disappearance. Rebekah makes a decision which confuses and angers Davina, as she turns to Vincent and Marcel for help. While bedding Aya, Elijah discovers something which gives him the opportunity to discover another part of Aurora's plan. Meanwhile, Tristan comes face to face with both Klaus and Lucien, as Rebekah and Freya have an important sister to sister talk about the pendant. Eventually, a grand festivity starts at the compound, forcing Hayley to offer smiles and a surprise awaits Freya.**

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Hayley woke up, feeling extremely exhausted after the other day's events. Today was supposed to be Jackson's funeral. They were going to let his body drift on the river and then the pack would set it on fire. A wolf tradition…even though Hayley wanted Jackson to be buried in the ground like a normal person.

The pack disagreed, seeing as this was their alpha and he needed to receive the proper treatment. She sighed and for the first time, she realized that she had to move on with her life.

This didn't mean that she had to forget about the man she called a husband once, but she needed to live in the present, not in the past. And Jackson now belonged to her past.

Hope was still in her nursery when Hayley went to check up on her but the she wolf stopped in her tracks when she saw that Aurora De Martel was standing there, looking at the child and smiling.

The redhead turned to Hayley when she noticed her and whispered, "She's a heavy sleeper, it seems. Much like Nik was…I remember…after those hot and passionate…" "What the hell do you think you're doing here?" Hayley snapped at her.

Aurora looked away and leaned her hand into the crib to touch the baby's cheek, when Hayley speeded to her and grabbed a hold of her hand, twisting it.

Aurora hissed and then pushed her away. "You would dare lay a hand on a vampire who's been on this world for a millennium? You do have your guts, wolf girl." "I happen to be a hybrid now. So just remember that my own small bite can bring your immediate death. I do not have to put up with whatever plans you have going on here."

"I know Nik wants to put up with everything that happens around here now, Hayley. I am not leaving anytime soon. So you better get used to me and to me being around your child. Niklaus and I have a history and an unbreakable bond…you can't diminish that through a child."

Smirking, Hayley crossed her hands over her chest, saying, "If anyone is diminishing any relationship around here is you. And just because you are Klaus' new bed buddy, that doesn't give you the right to get a hold of my child." "She is not just your child. Don't be selfish now."

"As far as I know, I carried her in my womb and I died for her…literally. I have every right to say who can be in her presence or not and if you have a problem with it, maybe you should go complain to your new lover…and get out of my sight!"

Aurora's eyes were now glowing, showing her vampire self…but then she became calmer, realizing that she had lost this verbal fight.

With the final act of rubbing Hope's belly, Aurora headed to the door, where Hayley was waiting for her. "This room is off limits for you…I hope I can make that clear." The hybrid girl told her. They glared at each other for a few more moments before Aurora whispered, "How is Jackson by the way? I hear that he got himself into quite some trouble in the bayou. He is still alive, isn't he?"

Hayley parted her mouth slowly. She never expected this woman to talk about him at that moment. "How dare you mention his name?" "Ah, so you know that I was responsible for his death, right?" Aurora asked her, with a smile and Hayley's heart dropped inside. Of course she knew it.

But for the sake of this horrid plan, she had to look past it. "If you dare mention his name again…" "What will you do? Try to kill me?" Aurora challenged her.

Her knees were buckling but Hayley faced her challenger without fear showing, when the door opened and Klaus was standing there, concern written all over his face. "Aurora, love! There you are!" he exclaimed at her, showing a smile and then, his eyes wandered over to Hayley, who was just standing there.

Her broken expression was clear to him. "Ah yes! I was just getting acquainted with your darling daughter and the mother. I am sure I will grow to adore them both. Do you need me for anything, my love?" she asked, running her hands up and down his chest, while staring at Hayley.

The Original Hybrid grunted and then whispered, "You are needed in the kitchen. The chef would prefer to know what sort of cake you prefer to have tonight." "Oh, they do need my constructive criticism, my love." She got on her tippy-toes and placed a kiss on Klaus' lips before leaving the room.

As soon as she left, Hayley licked her lips and started shaking her head, looking over at her sleeping daughter. His hands were on her back in seconds, forcing her to look at him. "What happened, little wolf? Tell me what happened."

"I'll tell you what happened alright! I'll tell you all about how your idiotic plan ruins everything in our lives."

"Sweetheart, I have no choice. You do not know of The Strix as well as Elijah and I do. They are to be here for the time being, until I can get a hold of Freya and cook up a plan to take them all down. I am also in need to come face to face with Tristan, Aurora's sadistic brother any moment now and Lucien is not picking up his bloody phone!"

Klaus pulled away from her and growled at himself, running a hand through his hair. "It kills you to know that you are not in control as you like to be, right?" Hayley asked him. "It always kills me to know that, love, and you know that as well."

"She mentioned Jackson." Hayley whispered and Klaus' eyes snapped to her. "What exactly did she say about him?"

"She was testing me…trying to irritate me. She was actually trying to get me to attack her so she would have excuse to go to you and tell you that I am being a horrible person to her. I know that kind of manipulation, Klaus. It's not the first time someone has tried to do it to me."

"And I am standing here, promising you that you will not have to endure it for much longer." Their eyes met for a moment and he could still see the sadness within her. She had not shown a single smile, since…

"Hayley…I wish for you to attend the party tonight."

"What? And have The Strix look at me as if I am their prey, watch you fawn over that whore while I have to endure spending hours with the people who killed my husband and half my pack?! I am even worried that the church will not even be able to protect what is left of my family!"

"They will be well protected because as long as I am making these invaders happy, they have no reason to terrorize the city or any of your wolves. They have said their peace…trying to get revenge on me because of the way I compelled Lucien, Aurora and Tristan to impersonate Elijah, Rebekah and I while we were running from Mikael."

"And now that they have said their peace, they don't expect any consequences?" Hayley snapped at him and took deep breaths to calm herself. "They will not see these consequences coming, little wolf. I can promise you this." Hayley nodded and then said, "So you want me to attend tonight?"

"Yes." "And what about Hope? I am not just going to leave her alone here." "She will join us. Rebekah and Freya shall be watching over her. I want you to participate and show yourself unaffected by the tragic events." "But, I…"

"Little wolf, the faster we get this done, the faster Freya and I will figure out a way to get rid of them." "And in the meantime, you are going to bed Aurora or what?" Hayley asked, more quietly this time, looking towards the door.

"I will be forced to. It is the only way I will be able to convince her that I am seriously about mending our relationship. Hang in there, love, and your patience shall be rewarded. You may have the first attack on them." Klaus whispered and showed her a small smile. Hayley bit her lips and shook her head.

"It won't be something which will bring Jackson back. But for the sake of this plan of yours, I will put on a good face." Klaus squeezed her arm in support and headed to the door but her words stopped him. "I don't know what I should wear."

"Ah yes! You are not a woman who cares for many extravagant parties. However, I suppose Rebekah will be able to provide you with a dress, worth to match your beauty."

She didn't know whether or not this was meant to be an honest compliment or simply a way to try to make her feel better, but she accepted his words and nodded without complaint. Klaus frowned as he watched her. He didn't like her being like this. She was usually the one with the sharp tongue and strong attitude to contradict him for always.

At the moment, the only thing he was showing was her acting submissively in front of him and he did not like it one bit. This was not the Hayley that he knew.

However, he offered her another small smile before leaving the room. He couldn't say that he was pleased that Jackson was dead but he couldn't shed any tears for the lad either since he was never fond of him.

He simply wanted to focus on getting Hayley back on her feet and he knew he would succeed.

"LUCIEN!" Klaus roared when he saw him entering the compound. "Ah, Niklaus! Spectacular day, is it not?" he asked him. "What have you done with Freya?" "Freya?" Lucien asked, frowning.

"Do not play with me. I have offered you a chance to come into my home and the last time Freya was seen was with you so you better spill this moment her whereabouts!"

"Temper, temper, Nik…as much as I would have loved to have your precious Freya hidden somewhere maybe for my own personal pleasure, I can assure you that I don't." Klaus' eyes widened and then asked, "What did you say?"

"It's alright, brother!" a voice called out from the front entrance of the compound and Klaus and Lucien turned towards it.

Freya was walking towards them but with a pissed look on her face. "He is just being an ass, Niklaus. Ignore him." She whispered and crossed her hands over her chest. Smirking, Lucien told Klaus, "Please, do carry on. Do you have something you would like to inform us of?"

Eventually, Klaus led them to a more private room, where he explained Aurora's presence, the Strix's presence but also his plan. "You are insane!" Freya gasped at him. "I am not. I hope you keep that pendant close to you. Aurora must not know you have it." "Yes, of course." Freya whispered and then frowned towards Lucien.

"Why don't you tell my brother the way you have been communicating with Aurora today? What plan, Lucien?!"

Klaus' eyes widened as he turned to Lucien and whispered, "You have bee communicating with Aurora behind my back, have you? Is there even the slightest possibility that she knows we are on good terms?" Lucien smirked and Klaus pushed him against the wall, plunging his hand into his chest.

"NO!" Freya yelled out and moved to grab a hold of her brother's hand immediately. "Please…let him go. You don't have to do this." Freya whispered as she watched the terror washing over his face. "You would trust this traitor? What is the one thing that can stop me from ripping his heart from his chest at this precise moment, sister?"

"He may be on our side." Freya insisted and held onto him.

"How do you suppose…?" he whispered as Lucien groaned, feeling Klaus' grip tighten inside his chest. "I can see it. He…he is a bastard for plotting behind our backs but he could be plotting with us." "If I didn't know any better, I would think that you held some sort of attachment for him. Is that correct?"

"Don't be silly, brother. Pull your hand out this instant. Please. You might regret it." Lucien started gasping as Klaus slowly retreated his hand and looked at him, his nostrils flaring.

Lucien's heart was in place as Klaus whispered, "You shall no longer be able to gain my trust. I do not know what my sister claims but…if you so try to keep us from destroying the intruders in my home…you will be following them in death."

"Calm down, Nik! Everything I do, I do for my own benefit."

"I see…and what exactly satisfies you as of this moment? Seeing me dead? Or perhaps you would enjoy seeing Aurora and Tristan destroy my sireline to have you freed from me."

"If they destroy your sireline, I am as good as dead. Don't you get it? My life depends on yours…"

"But if you shall no longer be sired to me, you shall switch sides in an instant. Because this is all about Aurora, is it not?" Lucien took deep breaths and then he looked over at Freya, who was watching them, confused.

"Perhaps…or perhaps I have moved on from the past and looking forward to a future. Why should I prepare myself for moving in the past once more, Nik?"

"You have just proven your betrayal. What exactly are we to do with you?" Klaus wondered and Lucien grinned, saying, "I know more than you might think and as long as you are my sire, you need me at your side. As for where my loyalty lies, it depends. We shall see whether Aurora will be worthy of my help to receive the supernatural powers she claims or not."

"She has stated more than one aspect in her plan. Firstly, she wants to become an Original. Secondly, it is said she wants to use two souls, one of them being Gia, in order to gain certain amount of power from all supernatural creatures on Earth and third of all…you claim that she and her brother want to destroy my sireline. What is the truth here, Lucien?"

Lucien pondered over his words and shrugged, whispering, "Perhaps this is a true reason for you to question Aurora and get to the bottom of this madness. Who knows…perhaps you might truly find something which is worthy our cause. If you plan to romance her as you say you do, get the right information. And let me handle the rest."

Lucien winked at Freya before leaving. Klaus turned to Freya with a frown and whispered, "Trust him? Have you completely lost your mind?" Freya shook her head and said, "Just leave me alone to handle this. You got us all in enough mess as it is."

…

Meanwhile, Elijah was sitting on the bed, ready to get dressed as Aya started laughing, next to him. "What in God's name made you so responsive during these intercourses? You're different from what I remembered you to be, Elijah." She whispered, wrapping herself up with the sheets.

Elijah closed his eyes, thinking about what he was being forced to do in these moments. He didn't really wish it. However, he was determined to keep it going for the sake of his brother's plan and for the sake of saving Gia from her terrible fate.

"Aren't you going to say anything to me?" Aya asked him and Elijah grunted, looking towards her with a small smile. "What would you expect me to say?"

"I don't know. We haven't seen each other in years and the last time, when you left…you broke my heart. You turned me into a vampire, Elijah. You should have stayed by my side and by the Strix's side for always. But you abandoned us…"

Elijah rubbed his eyes and then he told her, "Please do not ruin this moment. It is supposed to be something you appreciate because you have offered me another chance."

"And I hope you will take advantage of this chance." Aya kissed his cheek and got off of the bed, heading into the bathroom. Elijah took the opportunity in order to look into her purse. He sensed something coming out f it and the shock overcame him when he noticed a pendant, hidden in one of the pockets.

He remembers it to be very similar to the pendant which belonged to Aurora. However, this one…felt empty. The sounds of the water running were heard from the bathroom and Elijah immediately picked up his phone in order to inform his sister.

 _It would seem that Aya possesses the same pendant as Aurora does. Most likely, it will be used against the second soul they need to capture in order to obtain their power. Get this pendant from her when you can._

Elijah sent the message and placed the pendant back into Aya's purse, but not before realizing that the soul, another damaged one like Gia, was most probably located in that compound. It could be anyone, but not him or Niklaus.

…

"You can't do this to me!" Davina snapped in anger as she spoke on the phone outside of Rousseau's. Rebekah's voice was heard afterwards.

 _"No, love, do not get upset. I am sure that an opportunity will arise. I love my brother. More than you can know. We have gone through many lifetimes together. And he will be brought back into our lives. Just not now."_ "And why the hell not? You're not capable of getting the diamond?"

 _"It's not something that you can understand right now. My brothers and I have welcomed Aurora and her family into our home."_

Davina's mouth parted in shock and then she snapped, "WHAT?!" _"You heard me. They have been welcomed at the compound. And you need to accept that."_ The witch gulped but she noticed there was some uneasiness in Rebekah's tone.

"I don't believe you would do that. Is something else going on? Tell me right now or I am going after the diamond without your help." _"Do not get yourself involved, love. You need to keep yourself out of this mess and find another way. The diamond is no longer an option, I'm afraid."_

"I…you…you will regret making this decision!" Davina told her angrily and ended the call. She turned because she sensed someone behind him.

"Marcel! Did you know?" Davina asked him, knowing that he had been listening in on her conversation with Rebekah. He wiped away the sweat that was clear on his face and placed his hands on her shoulders, saying, "D…I don't know what to tell you right now. I don't know what the Mikaelsons are up to but what I do know is that you need to stay out of it."

"You are madly in love with Rebekah. You need to talk to her and get her to stop whatever she is doing! Kol needs to be brought back!" "Things are more complicated than they seem to be, Davina." Another voice said and Vincent appeared by Marcel's side.

"What is he doing here? He needs to go!" Davina said, angrily, remembering how Vincent ruined any chance for her to continue to be the Regent of the Witch Coven.

"I am here because you all need my help. Whatever is happening with the Mikaelsons, that diamond, when they get it is not going to be used to bring Kol back." Vincent explained. "And how would you know that?" Davina challenged him.

"I know because Elijah and the others have already said that Gia will be brought back using that diamond. If they don't get it, another soul will perish and be trapped between the two worlds with Gia."

"Kol is their brother! They can't do this!"

Marcel sighed and whispered, "Little D, you know that you don't have much choice in the matter. Everything will be decided by them. And what will happen when The Strix and Aurora succeed in doing what they always planned? What will happen when they complete their experiment, another soul suffers and they get all the power they need to bring terror in our lives. Is Kol really worth all of this?"

"To me, he is. And it looks like I am the only one who really cares about him."

She looked at both of them and whispered, "Are you going to help me attack them and get that diamond or are you just going to stand here and do nothing?"

Marcel and Vincent looked at each other for a moment before Vincent whispered, "You are just a kid. You need to start thinking more about what is at stake here than getting your precious boyfriend back!"

"You are both unbelievable!" Davina said and pushed away from Marcel, leaving.

…

"Ah! There he is! The pride and glory of The Strix! Tristan De Martel himself!" Lucien called out, clapping as Tristan entered the compound with Rebekah by his side. And Lucien was not the only person Tristan was facing. Klaus and Freya were waiting.

"Hello." Rebekah whispered to them and Klaus' eyes darkened when he saw Rebekah's hand wrapped around Tristan's arm. He knew of their past relationship and of course, he had never agreed to it. However, with Aurora being at his side, he didn't have any room to judge. And even in the present, he could not say a word.

"Lucien…surprised you found your refuge here. And you have escaped the pendant. How exactly did you manage it?" Tristan asked him. "As through you don't know! A lovely lady had taken my place with her supposed death. And now, I guess you need another soul of your own."

"Well that depends…Aurora has it in her plan to become an Original, as do I…and we both know we would do it to be with the people we love. Hello, Niklaus." Tristan greeted him and tightened his grip around Rebekah.

"I would welcome you, Tristan but perhaps as soon as you leave my sister be."

Tristan smirked and then whispered, "I might say that I shall do so as soon as you leave my little sister be." Klaus eyed him menacingly but didn't make a move. It was Lucien's word against the word of the De Martel siblings. What was their common goal? To become Originals, something they claim they deserve?

Or perhaps was there a plan more sinister…to destroy his sireline? Whose side was Lucien truly on? Klaus seemed forced to trust his former apprentice, now that he knew the true reason as to why the Strix had been accepted at the compound.

"Brother!" Aurora called out from upstairs and grinned from ear to ear, as she came downstairs fast enough and jumped into his arms. Tristan held onto her tightly and kissed her cheek.

"I see that you have done well…you are already a mistress of this place, dear sister." "Aw, Niklaus has been nothing but sweet to me since I arrived. And he is willing to make amends for leaving us to be his father's prey. We are all here now…and I want us all to form a happy family."

Freya tried smiling and said, "Of course! Rebekah, my sister! Would you like to come with me?" Rebekah nodded, but Tristan pulled her in for a kiss before she was finally free to follow her older sister. "What's wrong?" she asked Freya, as soon as they were upstairs.

"Elijah has helped me discover this." Freya showed Rebekah the identical pendants. "What does this mean?" "One pendant was hidden and it's empty. The other one, has Gia." "Aurora will discover they are gone."

"Not today. I will give them back but I need to do a specific spell tonight…while our brothers are holding that party for their ladies."

"Are you certain that their plan is going to work? I personally have my doubts and maybe you can understand why. Elijah with Aya and Niklaus with Aurora?"

"It might work. While I perform my spell, these women need to be distracted and we will leave the boys to that. They know what they are doing. The question is, what are you doing with Tristan, Rebekah?"

"I don't know what I'm doing. All I know is that he came back into my life. We have a past…and I am going along with whatever it is he has got planned for us." "What about Marcel?"

"I don't want to talk about him." "You may be making a big mistake. Think for a moment, Rebekah."

Freya begged her but Rebekah held up her hand and said, "While I was with Tristan, he had been nothing but kind and pleasant to me until the moment my brothers decided to keep me parted from another man I loved. Marcel brought me pain. I don't know what I should do now. Let us simply say that I choose to go along with the flow. And while you question me about Tristan, you should be questioning yourself about Lucien."

Freya frowned at Rebekah's remark but ignored it, grabbing her pendants and going inside of her room. She locked the door and sat on her bed, inspecting the two treasures and trying to find some sort of difference…something which can help her do that spell this night.

She needed to do it. She had no choice. A knock on the door startled her and Freya stood up, hiding the pendants somewhere under her bed, before going over to the door and opening it.

Lucien was standing there with a grin on his face and flowers in his hands. "The spark…it's still very much strong." He stated and handed her the flowers. "And what do you think you will gain if you give me flowers?" "Perhaps a date for tonight."

"You're dreaming." Freya rolled her eyes and was prepared to close the door when Lucien said, "Yes…but I shall be spending some time with Aurora and regarding your plan…something might slip from the tip of my tongue…"

"Fine! I'll go with you." Freya replied at once, offering her a satisfying smile. "Excellent. Wear something…exquisite." He winked one last time before leaving her door.

…

"You look beautiful, love." Rebekah said, examining Hayley as she looked in the mirror, her hair fallen back over her shoulders, wearing a beautiful purple dress.

"Does it really matter how good I look in this dress?" Hayley asked in a whisper. Rebekah sighed and sat her on a chair, starting to work on curling her hair for the party.

"I am very sorry for your loss…I…I can't imagine what you must be feeling." "I cried enough since his death, Rebekah. I don't plan on doing that anymore." "I know. You are a very strong one. Stronger than me. If my own husband would have died, I…I don't know how calm I would have been."

She continued fixing her hair as Hayley stared blankly into the mirror.

"The only reason I am calm right now is for the sake of this plan." "You trust Nik."

"Of course I do." Hayley responded. "He knows what he is doing and he always gets what he wants…no matter the cost. He will take down Aurora and you will have your revenge." Rebekah explained as she finished arranging Hayley's hair.

"I know. I hope…" Hayley sighed and closed her eyes. "He will be here for you. He wont let you down. Trust me." Hayley nodded and sighed, standing up. The two of them were now perfectly dressed to attend the party.

"I am going to go and see Freya. Will you be alright to go downstairs on your own?" "Of course. I can handle it." Hayley assured her.

Once Rebekah left out the door, Hayley grabbed her purse and looked at herself in the mirror once more. Someone entered her room without knocking and she almost tripped out of shock. Klaus closed the door behind him. He was wearing a tux and a disturbed look on his face.

"What are you doing here?" Hayley asked him. "I am here to escort you downstairs, love." "Why would you do that? Don't you have to keep your so called love for Aurora public?"

"Of course but that doesn't mean that I shouldn't offer some happiness to the mother of my child…especially when she is grieving."

"Is everyone else downstairs?" "Everyone." "And Hope?" "She will be with Rebekah or Freya. The Strix will not get close to her without our consent."

"And what happens after this party, Klaus? How long do I have to walk around here and watch how these bastards smirk at the very mention of Jackson or the bomb they set off in the bayou? How long do I have to keep this going?"

"For a little while longer. Once we have done what we need to do…Aurora will be all yours. For now, though…show me a smile, little wolf." He said, cupping her cheeks. Hayley nodded, accepting her fate.

"Fine. For a night." "For a night." Klaus repeated and grabbed her hand and led her downstairs.

* * *

 **A/N: The party will take place in the next chapter with more Klayley and Frucien. Will Freya succeed in doing what she is planning to do? Who is the soul that is needed alongside Gia to complete the experiment? We will find out in the next chapter. And what will Davina do now?**

 **Thank you for reading and please leave me reviews!**


	9. Venom By His Will

**In the previous chapter, Hayley and Aurora had a heated argument in which the topic for discussion was Hope and the hybrid's dead husband. Following these arguments, Klaus showed up at Hayley's doorstep in order to discuss strategy. Afterwards, Lucien's loyalty was questioned by Klaus and Freya, as the two had to deal with Rebekah's relationship with Tristan as well. Elijah discovered another pendant in Aya's belongings as Rebekah bailed on Davina's plan to bring Kol back. Finally, Rebekah and Freya had a discussion about their respective love interests as Hayley prepared herself for a difficult evening.**

* * *

 **PLOT: Hayley attends the party, with Klaus by her side, to the annoyance of Aurora, who decides to keep her brother close for the night. Freya, charged with protecting Hope, is forced to endure Lucien's close approach as she discovers her need to perform a certain transfer spell from the two pendants which are in her possession. Davina attends the party with Marcel, hell bent on getting what she wants. Rebekah is charmed by Tristan right before a violent fight, which has a good result for someone, but Hayley discovers something which puts her life in immediate danger. Finally, with Lucien's plan working, the Mikaelsons become divided.**

* * *

"Everyone is staring." Hayley whispered as she heard the beautiful music all around the decorated abattoir. She was holding onto Klaus' arm as he led her gently downstairs. "Yes, indeed. How could they not? I was not lying when I said you looked ravishing, sweetheart."

"I think that your flattery should be used more towards your new bitch, considering that she is the reason why you're pretending." Hayley responded and Klaus gripped her hand tighter, pulling her towards him and hissing, "We must not speak of such things here, little wolf. Anyone might hear."

Hayley simply smiled and looked away from him.

"But maybe you're not pretending." She finally whispered when the people stopped staring at them and they had gone back to their regular conversations and no longer paying attention to the famous Labonair Queen.

"Not pretending?" Klaus asked her in shock, raising his eyebrows, as he pulled her closer to him. "I am doing the best I can, love. You must give me some credit to…"

"I mean that maybe you really have feelings left for Aurora." Hayley told him firmly and looked at him in the eyes. She could tell whether he was lying or telling the truth.

Shaking his head, Klaus whispered, "My relationship with Aurora has always been turbulent. You have no way of knowing what it has been like, Hayley. You were not with me all these years ago. You cannot possibly understand…"

"Then don't play dumb with me. I am not Cami." Hayley snapped and turned away from him, furiously.

"Hayley!" Klaus snapped at her as though he were scolding a child. "I told you all you need to know about me. I need you to do the same about yourself. Are you capable of killing her when the time is right?"

"Hayley…" Klaus started saying again but then he hissed, "Please be quiet." Hayley was about to say something but she sensed someone coming towards them.

Klaus pulled her to his side as Aurora made her way with a fake smile on her face.

Hayley could tell that the redhead hated her presence at the party, especially after the incident of that morning. "Hayley! I am surprised that you have time to party...you are of course still in the process of grieving, are you not?"

"Yes, she is. However, Hayley is a stronger woman than you might think, sweetheart and she is not about to grieve for long." Klaus said rather quickly and moved from Hayley's side to stand by Aurora, who pecked him on the lips with a smile.

"Yeah, I will make sure that my husband gets the respect he deserves after his death and perhaps even vengeance, but I want to enjoy this night with my daughter." Hayley told her and Aurora sensed the bitterness in her tone.

"Oh well, it isn't that polite to claim that child as your own when Niklaus is the father…" "And I didn't disrespect him in any way. But maybe you should realize that this child doesn't have only a father. She has a mother too. Excuse me." Hayley replied and moved away from them, her eyes closed but she tried to keep that smile on her face.

She drank some punch, trying to avoid the alcohol for the night and saw Elijah heading towards her after leaving Aya's side.

"Is everything alright, Hayley? Has my brother said anything…?"

"Maybe you should stop trying to blame your brother for everything. It was Aurora." Hayley responded fast. Elijah pulled back slightly and whispered, "I am truly sorry for Jackson and for the pain you must be feeling now, knowing that his killers are at large…and even in this room."

"Maybe you shouldn't get too loud." Hayley told him. She didn't know why she was so upset with Elijah. Truth be told, she was upset with almost everyone in the Mikaelson family…all because of this plan of theirs, to charm the devil himself.

"You are risking a lot, Elijah and I am not sure that this is going to work." She finally admitted to him.

"It was Niklaus' plan from the start and knowing the woman he is charming…she can be fooled…and Gia will be set free." They looked around each other, making sure that no one was hearing them.

"You have to get the diamond, right?" Hayley asked. "As a matter of fact, before we do that, Freya needs to do a spell of her own. And she will succeed. We must have faith."

Elijah returned to Aya with a smile, leaving Hayley almost completely hopeless for the safety of herself and her daughter in the presence of The Strix.

…

"You keep staring at her!" Aurora said under her breath as she drank up the champagne in her glass.

Tristan smiled lightly as he held his own glass and whispered back, "I am doing all that I can for you, dearest sister and you know that no one comes first for me other than you. However, I cannot deny Rebekah's beauty. She is a charming lady, one whom I have had an interesting connection with in the past and now I intend to continue it."

"But you don't really love her, do you? Tristan, my brother, I know you. It's pure lust when you look at her." Aurora insisted, hoping that she was right.

"Lust…indeed, because no woman had been in bed with me the way she has been. And you never know…perhaps this is my other method to spite Niklaus. He has never liked his sister near me. You know that. But having his own relationship with my darling sister, he was nowhere in position to judge." Tristan explained and Aurora nodded with a smirk.

"So you will break her heart?" "Of course not. I was a Lord once in my own right and now, the leader of our Strix. I am a King in my own right and Rebekah is who I see fit as my Queen. She will not deny me anything. And she will offer me the pleasure I crave."

"That is beyond wicked, brother!" Aurora giggled by his side and Tristan gave her a smile. "Wicked is a part of my amazing personality, Aurora, my darling. I am sure you are aware of that."

"I am, but I should warn you, brother, that you should be very much aware that my intentions towards my love are purely carnal for now as well." She giggled when she saw the shocked expression on Tristan's face.

"Sister…" he started warning her with his tone but Aurora shook her head and whispered, "I do what I want with my life, Tristan. Respect that. I am not your baby sister anymore." "Yes, you are. For all eternity and…"

"You spend your time with Rebekah and I shall spend my time with Niklaus. Simple, right?" "Not as simple as what we have to full right here. You told me you would not let him get away with what he has done to us and Lucien has agreed to stand by our side now."

Aurora frowned and whispered, "I don't know what Lucien really wants. He looks pretty comfortable with Niklaus and that worries me a little." "He is playing his part, little sister just like we should play ours."

"You told Lucien that we plan on getting all of us extreme power to be Originals, equal to the Mikaelsons."

"And that, Aurora, my darling, is exactly what we shall be." "But what about Niklaus' sireline? Lucien is a part of that one." Aurora asked him.

Tristan simply gulped down his drink before saying, "Damage beyond repair. You know as well as I do that as soon as we grab the power we need, Niklaus Mikaelson's sireline shall be destroyed along with him. Lucien may certainly not survive but at least he would be prepared to die for a good cause."

"And Rebekah?" Aurora asked him, her nostrils flaring. "You are a part of Rebekah's sireline, sweetheart. I cannot eliminate her."

"Either way you would not want to eliminate her because you want to bed her. Don't lie to me, brother." Aurora said and walked away from him. Tristan eyed Lucien from across the room with a frown.

The young lad was getting more and more closer to Freya Mikaelson from what he had observed. How was that going to fit into their plan? His eyes then wandered with a frown to the front door, where Marcel Gerard entered, with Davina Claire by his side.

The little witch was looking around as though she was searching desperately for something that would save her life. "You really need to calm down, D." Marcel whispered to her but Davina shook her head constantly.

"No…I have to be here…I need to get that diamond. Marcel, it is important." "And I am not in the mood for you to do anything that will upset the Mikaelsons. I already am completely lost on what game they're pulling here with The Strix."

"What if this is not a game? What if they are seriously considering forming an alliance with them? I can't accept Kol's only salvation to be sacrificed."

"And how exactly do you think that you will get that diamond, Davina?" Marcel asked her.

They eyed each other for a few more moments before she grabbed a hold of his arm and said, "I have to find the right moment to perform a locator spell. I don't care what Vincent said. Whatever Klaus and his family are up to it doesn't concern me."

"It may concern all of us if these Strix are planning to take New Orleans right from under Klaus' nose." "I don't care." Davina replied stubbornly. "I think Freya may be up to something though." Marcel noticed and he pointed to the Mikaelson witch, who looked very protective of Hope.

"She always has that look on her face, as if she is going to be attacked at any moment now. What makes you think that she is planning something?"

"Well whatever it is, the best chance you're going to get that diamond is if you go to her." "Rebekah turned me down. What makes you think that Freya would agree to help me get the diamond."

"Because from the looks of it, she might be looking for the exact same thing." Marcel told her.

…

"Shhh." Freya hushed the little baby in her arms as she went upstairs in order to put her in her crib. She compelled someone, with Hayley's permission, to watch her for the night and to scream as loud as she could if she saw anyone come into the room to take her.

Both women needed to be sure that The Strix wouldn't dare come near the miracle child of the Original Hybrid. As soon as she left the nursery, her intention was to go straight to her room and start the spell.

The pendants were both safely hidden in there. However, she gasped to see that Lucien was standing before her, smiling.

"I believe that I was the one to ask you to be my date tonight, darling Freya and yet you had not been at all by my side. Any reason for that?" he asked her, cocking his head to one side, curious. Freya opened her mouth to say something but she closed it at once.

She opened it again, when his eyes on hers were making her too nervous, saying, "Well…I…I…" "You what? Let me know…we are partners in crime, are we not?" "No, we are not. And I don't want you here right now. I will see you downstairs."

Freya tried to move to her bedroom but Lucien grabbed a hold of her hand.

He stared at her deeply in the eyes and whispered, "I believe that my offer stands, love." "What offer?" "I shall not say a word about what you and Nik are planning. In return…" Freya sighed and closed her eyes. She was not going to get rid of him easily and a part of her didn't really want to.

Why would she? He was dashing…beyond annoying…but he seemed to care about her. No! She convinced herself that he was just being charming towards her because she knew more about him than his mentor did. "Fine." She said in defeat even though she knew that she had to do what she was meant to do that night.

She would find someway but she could not tell Lucien about this, as per Elijah's instructions.

Taking his hand, Freya was headed back downstairs by Lucien and luckily, no one observed them.

"I asked for something exquisite and it seems like you have done just that…it's lovely. Would you care for a dance?" he asked her and Freya frowned and looked down at the dress she was wearing. "It's nothing carefully chosen for you so spare me."

Lucien rolled his eyes but then smiled and held out his hand for her to grab. She did what he asked and in a matter of moments, they were dancing. Freya could sense that her brothers' eyes were on her the whole time.

She had denied to Niklaus that she held any sort of feelings for this creature in front of him. But this dance showed something else. Lucien was holding her too close for her own tastes but she didn't deny that she was enjoying this.

"What troubles you, dearest Freya?" Lucien asked her with a small smile after a while and Freya stared into his eyes, trying t find her words but she couldn't. "Not even a thank you for the flowers I struggled to find for you…do you truly hate me that much?" he asked her and she smirked.

"I don't hate you. I just can't trust you. That is a whole different story, you know." He twirled her and she ended up back into his arms.

"You can't trust me. How can you not trust me? I have taken the liberty of freeing you from your nightmares. What would you have done otherwise?" "That's suspicious alright." "Suspicious, how?" "You want something from me. You would have helped me otherwise."

"Perhaps I have taken time off to help you simply because…the spark…" "Oh please! Enough with the spark talk! There is no spark!" she insisted but she laughed when she said it, making him grin too as he twirled her again.

She ended back into his arms and she saw something else in his eyes. It was a certain glimmer…one which showed her that he was planning something. "What are you up to now?" she asked him immediately.

Lucien snapped out of his trance and raised an eyebrow. "I am up to something? What makes you think that, love?" "You have that look…it makes me uneasy."

"I am very pleased to hear that I have such an effect on you." "No…" "Yes. But that is alright. Perhaps I am planning something for my own benefit." "I know you always do this. You wont show us whose side you're really on and that is terrifying without a doubt. Why won't you tell me?" she asked him and intentionally, pushed herself closer into him.

"Daring…trying to charm me, my dearest?" "I am not your dearest. But maybe I am trying to charm you." "I have nothing to say to you, love."

"You are planning something. I am sure that you are. So tell me what." She was being serious this time and if his gaze was intimidating to her, she wanted to make sure that her own gaze was intimidating too.

"If I do tell you, you shall inform your brothers straight away and I will not be very happy with that."

"So something you're planning…it's something which will not be approved by my family. I am very interested to hear that." "Freya…" "Tell me…"

"I will not, darling. I will not. But what I can promise you is that you shall know very soon and you shall judge me for it but…at least I will receive what I have always deserved." He ended their dance but left her wanting more.

Freya followed him until she was able to grab his arm and say, "You said that you think we have a spark. Well if we do, then I am sure that you will not have a problem with telling me what your plans are. Which side are you really on, Lucien?"

"Just as you will not let me understand what you are planning upstairs in your little room, I will not tell you anything about my own plans." He pulled away his arm.

Freya bit her lip as she watched him leave. She had a really bad feeling about all of this. She went back upstairs, only to come face to face with Davina.

"What do you want?" Freya asked her, a bit angrily that this little witch had the nerve to stop her. "I want to bring back your brother. Something that Rebekah clearly doesn't. I need that diamond. And I need your help to get it."

"Davina you are not getting any diamond." Freya responded with a sigh as she went back into her room. Davina followed her and realizing that she was not going to get rid of her anytime soon, Freya locked the door behind them and knew that the place was charmed so that no one would know what they were speaking about.

"The diamond is not the interest now. Not when the Strix are planning world domination." Freya explained as she pulled out her two pendants and Davina looked at them. "What are those? I can feel negative energy?"

"It is negative energy because Gia is trapped into one of them and the other one is waiting for its captor. They said that they need a total of two souls. Gia is one of them but we don't know who the other strong one might be." "So what are you trying to do?" Davina asked.

"I am trying to link myself to them…and create replicas." "Replicas?" "Yes. When the darling Aurora will get her hands on these…she will never know they are fake…and I will have the real Gia with me."

Davina just stared at her, unsure of what to say, but all of a sudden, she knew. "If I help you, will you help me get Kol back?"

Freya looked at her and said strongly, "Yes. I want my family reunited just as much as you do, trust me. But that diamond won't do you any good. At least not if the Strix are not stopped. So you better do what is right, forget about Kol for a moment and realize that this whole city is in danger if I don't get this done."

Without thinking about it more, Davina got down on her knees and started helping the older and more experienced Mikaelson witch.

…

"Ah, the werewolf bitch still hasn't left the spotlight." Aurora groaned when she saw that Hayley was standing, smiling and talking with Rebekah.

Aurora turned to Tristan and hissed, "How can she be so calm and joyful after her husband was killed by us? Something doesn't add up here, brother."

Tristan was simply looking ahead as the Mikaelson blonde was capturing every bit of his attention. "Aurora, my darling, I believe that you can handle the matter very easily with Niklaus. In the meantime, I wish to keep his own sister charmed by my presence. Excuse me." He grabbed another drink and headed towards Rebekah.

Hayley tried to keep herself from saying anything as soon as she saw Tristan approaching. Rebekah really seemed to care about this one. They had a past. That is what she learned.

But when the time was right and Klaus would give word, she will not stop herself from killing the De Martel siblings no matter how much they meant to the Mikaelsons.

"Rebekah, my darling, I see that you and Hayley prefer to be quite isolated from the rest of the party. Any particular reason as to why that is?" Tristan asked, wrapping his hand around Rebekah's waist.

Rebekah eyed Hayley for a moment and then said with a smile, "We were just having some girl talk over here, Tristan. There is no need for you to be jealous. I am more than willing to spend some time with you now. Hayley, you would not mind, would you?" Rebekah asked her friend and Hayley shook her head.

"No, you go ahead. I have something I need to do anyway." Grabbing her drink and walking far away from the pair, she bumped into the last person she really wanted to see. Aurora smiled and turned around, inspecting her. "Are you okay, Hayley? You seem very…intense tonight."

"Probably because I am trying to keep myself from ripping your hair from your scalp." Hayley replied with a smirk. "Better not let Nik hear you say that to me." Aurora told her right back.

"And what exactly do you think that he is going to do? You think that he will step right up and help you like a gentleman? You probably need to learn how to take care of yourself without having men wait around at your feet. Klaus is not that kind of guy."

"And how would you know what kind of man he is? Did you even get to know him like I did? No. You had an unfortunate one-night stand and the only reason he keeps you around is because of that precious little baby upstairs. Of course, if that baby would disappear…"

Hayley grabbed Aurora's drink and slammed it to the ground. "If you say anything more about my child again…!"

"Easy, easy, wolf girl. Are you ready to ruin this party for everyone? I was simply stating a fact. Your daughter is the only thing that ties you and Niklaus together whereas he and I…we go way back." Hayley shook her head and decided to walk away when Aurora grabbed her hand and said, "You know…your soul…it's quite a dark one…and yet you bring a lot of light through it without anyone's help."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Hayley asked. "Your soul can be put to better use." Aurora concluded and smirked before walking away and leaving Hayley in shock. Almost immediately, she started looking around for Klaus but he was nowhere to be seen.

"KLAUS!" she yelled out but no one was even looking at her or trying to help her find him. No one even knew where he was. Suddenly, the lights all went down and the blackness filled the room.

Hayley's heart started beating faster and her first reaction was to try to get upstairs to her child's room. But she couldn't move and everyone was panicking. She wanted to yell out his name again but thought better of it. She hadn't seen Elijah around either.

The lights suddenly were turned on again and Hayley gasped when she saw that she was in the middle of the room, along with the vampires, surrounded by a pack of werewolves. Who were they? What were they doing here?

Hayley held no fear. She was part wolf and they could sense that. "Steady now!" Someone from the upstairs called out and the wolves didn't move a muscle.

The rest looked up to see Lucien standing there, with a smirk on his face, and his hands on the railings, enjoying the view for himself. "And this is where things escalade pretty quickly! As of this moment forward, I am taking control of the little town the rest of you have built so carefully!"

"You wont get away with this, Lucien!" Aurora exclaimed and glared at him in anger.

"What have you done?!" Tristan nearly roared.

Lucien placed a hand over his heart. "What have I done? Better yet, what have you done? You see…I have always known better than to keep my trust in the De Martel siblings! The plan may go forward however, I shall not be the victim of it as you and your darling sister have planned! We will go by my terms now!"

Hayley gasped and wondered where the Mikaelsons were, when she couldn't see anyone. The lights were turned off and this time, Hayley knew that the wolves had started attacking and the vampires were running for their lives.

She used her hybrid speed to get upstairs, when someone grabbed her arm and pulled her inside a room. "Klaus." Hayley whispered his name softly when she saw that he had packed all of their bags and Hope was with him. "We must go, little wolf. Now!" he told her firmly.

Without asking questions, Hayley immediately raced to grab Hope and her things as Klaus grabbed a hold of the other luggage and they used their speed to get out of the compound, where an SUV was waiting for them. Hayley got her child in the back and fastened her seatbelt, before getting in the front, where Klaus was waiting for her to get in.

He started the engine and then they started driving as fast as they could. "What's happening? Where are we going?" Hayley asked him.

She was still wearing her dress and Klaus was wearing his suit but neither one of them cared. "We need to get out of this city as fast as possible, love." "Lucien betrayed us?" "I am not certain of that…he is still very much against us. However, he is even more than ever against the Strix."

"Why didn't you do anything to stop him? Where are Elijah, Rebekah and Freya?" "Elijah and I agreed to let him think that he has won. It is the only way we can be certain that he is going to get rid of the Strix. However, the pendants are still in the compound, or under Freya's care."

"What will happen to the rest?"

"Elijah has taken refuge after his darling Aya had been killed off but we will keep in touch. For now, he has decided that it would be best to go down different paths so as we will not be tracked down easily by Lucien or the Strix. As for Rebekah…she may still be at the compound. But Elijah promised to get a hold of her as soon as possible."

"And Freya?" Hayley asked, worried. "I do not know. But Freya can take care of herself, little wolf. Don't worry about that. I simply needed to make sure you and our child are protected. And I trust myself only to provide that protection for you."

Hayley leaned her head back and closed her eyes. Her mind was spinning and she still had so many questions. She then opened her eyes and looked back to see that Hope had fallen asleep in the back.

Then, she looked at Klaus and whispered, "If Lucien has those pendants…he may be able to perform the spell to get the other soul sucked inside the other pendant, Klaus. If he, Aurora and Tristan get the other soul…they will use the diamond Aurora has and they can become brand new Originals."

Klaus looked at her too and didn't pay much attention to his driving.

"Are you trying to tell me something, Hayley?" he asked her. "Klaus, Aurora hinted who the other soul aside from Gia's is." "Who?" She bit her lip but he insisted, "Love, I need to know."

"It's me, Klaus. They need my soul trapped in the second pendant." She saw his eyes widen for a moment as he looked back towards the road and tried to keep himself focused. "But they cannot obtain your soul, love. You would have to…" "…die." Hayley concluded and looked out the window.

"All the more reason you need my protection now. I shall inform Elijah of your discovery immediately. But first…we need to find a safe place to hide."

"How can you say that Lucien is not against us when he is planning on destroying your sireline so he can be free? Because the moment they get my soul and he becomes an Original, your sireline will be broken, Klaus. And he could come after you and take you down."

"No one can take me down!" Klaus hissed and turned his eyes to hers, whispering, "No matter what…I remain the true immortal being on this Earth. And as for your worries…we let Lucien deal with one of our problems, the Strix…before we engage in a war ourselves to take him down."

"Rebekah and Freya could be in danger." Hayley insisted. "They can protect themselves, Hayley. You must not have that kind of worry. However, you must be well protected by me, especially now that you are a target for the Strix and for Lucien as well."

"Who were those wolves Lucien was controlling, Klaus?" Hayley asked him. "The North East Atlantics…my pack."

* * *

 **A/N: Quite a cliffhanger, right? And this is where things get interesting. Lucien really outdid himself. He is killing two birds with one stone. But how exactly does Freya fit into his plan? And where will Hayley and Klaus find refuge now that they are on the run? You will find out in the next chapter.**

 **Thank you for reading and please leave me reviews!**


	10. My Own Personal Hope

**Previously, on Heart by Heart, Hayley attended the party with worry in her heart and Aurora had a lot to discuss with her brother about their respective relationships with Rebekah and Niklaus. Freya was forced to share a dance with Lucien which made her more and more suspicious of what he was up to. Following her intention to create replicas of the pendants, Freya was confronted and helped by Davina. Meanwhile, Hayley discovered from Aurora that she was the second soul that was needed alongside Gia's. Finally, the shock of the night came when Lucien took control of the city, using a pack of wolves, forcing the Mikaelsons to scatter.**

* * *

 **PLOT: Lucien, Aurora and Tristan create a pact in order to live harmoniously in the compound, as Rebekah's head is filled with turbulent thoughts about her family, because of Tristan. Freya finds herself in a game played by Lucien that she cannot get out of, especially because of his proposition. Meanwhile, Klaus and Hayley take refuge in a place where Hayley knows they would not be found. Elijah, gets in touch with Marcel, as Vincent can no longer be trusted. Finally, Klaus and Hayley talk about their future, as Freya's life because more confusing.**

* * *

"Lucien…who are they?" Aurora whispered before looking down again to see that the wolves were close to starting to pounce once more. "Steady now!" Lucien ordered with a smile and the wolves backed away. The vampire then came in front of Tristan and Aurora, pleased that for the first time, they seemed intimidated by him.

"They're my friends. Found them in a far far away destination…promised them a way to get the Wolf Faction in control of the city and…voila!" Lucien added. Tristan didn't show any emotion on his face as his eyes wondered back to the wolves.

He then whispered, "I have a really hard time to believe that they would answer to a vampire. How exactly did you choose to poison them?" "Elementary, my dear Tristan!"

Lucien stated and held out his hand. Aurora hissed in disappointment when Lucien stated, "I have a very good witch by my side and one who is going to offer them the freedom they deserve from the full moon but also, this witch is going to help them turn at any moment they wish."

"And who is this witch?" Tristan asked. "My dear Freya Mikaelson, who has not fled the compound and unfortunately, she will not be able to any longer."

He then glared at the two De Martel siblings and said, "No one is leaving the compound. And no one can overpower the Witch Coven Regent, who is here, with me! Vincent, come out and introduce yourself!"

Vincent came out of the shadows and faced Tristan and Aurora. "Let me get one thing straight. The only reason I accepted to be here is because you are the one who promised me I can have the diamond as soon as your own spell is done."

"But of course. A deal is a deal." Lucien responded but Aurora gasped and frowned. "No! I am not giving you my diamond!"

There was some noise which could have been heard upstairs and Lucien smirked.

"I believe that the darling Freya is upstairs at this very moment with Davina Claire, trying to cook up a way to destroy our little plan. I know she is the one who has both pendants. But not to worry! Everything is going according to schedule and in a matter of days, Nik's sireline will be broken and the three of us will receive the fame and power as brand new Originals, equal to the Mikaelsons. It is only fair after all the misery they had put us through, don't you agree?"

"How exactly are you going to explain the death of half of The Strix members, Lucien? There were some good men and women…" Tristan started saying but Lucien cut him off.

"Yes! Men and women…all very much loyal to you, Tristan and yet very distant from me. Let me get something clear here. I have taken over New Orleans and made the Mikaelsons flee their home once more because I have had the power to do so. And in doing so, I can be declared the new leader in this city even if my partnership with you still stands. But nevertheless…I have earned my position as the current leader of the city and therefore, I take commands from no one but myself."

"And in your intention to show your new power, you decided to weaken our own army of vampires?" Tristan asked him.

Lucien scoffed and said, "Your little friends were unable to understand the importance of this plan and they also present a weak link for me. A weak link which had to be eliminated, including the precious Aya."

Tristan and Aurora looked at one another before turning back to Lucien and Vincent.

"Tell me how the Mikaelson sister plays her role." Tristan stated. "Freya is going to provide me with what the wolves demand in exchange for their loyalty. The question is…how exactly is Rebekah going to fit in this plan as well. She did not choose to leave with her brothers, I see."

"Rebekah is under my care and she will not do anything to disturb our plan. I have had my own personal talk with her. I assure you."

"Very well, Tristan. Then we have nothing too complicated in our way. The only thing that I ask of Vincent is if he can possibly keep the sweet witch Davina in line until we move forward to the next step. From what I learned, she is quite anxious to get her little hands on the diamond we might need later on, Aurora, so I suggest you keep it close to yourself."

"How close do you expect me to keep it? That one already has my two pendants!" she told him angrily.

Lucien just continued to look upstairs, where all the noises were coming from. Eventually, he sighed, put his hands behind his back and gave his simple instructions to Vincent.

"Your coven will receive the rewards you requested. All you have to do is keep the highest protection spell on this compound. No one leaves without my right and no one enters. Is that understood?"

"Fine." "And about Davina Claire…"

"I get it. I will keep her out of your way." Vincent answered. "Very well…and as for me…it is time that I have a little chat with the eldest Mikaelson sister."

…

"Tristan, I deserve an explanation for everything that has happened! Niklaus and Elijah fled, along with Hayley and Hope and I have not heard word from Freya! You told me that I could bloody trust you! What happened to that?"

Rebekah lashed out at him as Tristan shushed her calmly and placed his hands on her arms, trying to soothe her.

"What happened…there are plenty of matters I wish to discuss with you, my love but for now, I need for you to understand that your brothers had chosen to run away with Hayley and the child on their own accord."

Rebekah had her arms crossed over her chest. "How gullible do you think I am? Let me out of here or I swear to God, I will rip you apart, Tristan! I have the power to do so!"

Tristan raised his eyebrows and then answered, "I believe you said you love me. I also recall you telling me that you trust me. Trust me when I tell you that your brothers had chosen to leave this compound the moment they learned that we were going to go through with the idea of becoming Originals. They hate the idea of that, my love."

"Niklaus was more than happy to share the bed with your sister again. And now something happened and it all went to dust? You expect me to believe your words? Niklaus and Elijah would never abandon me."

"But they have. I don't see them calling you." Tristan whispered and he could see the color on Rebekah's face draining.

She pulled out her phone and looked over her messages, to see that there was nothing. There were no missed calls or messages. She looked at the innocence shown on Tristan's face once more before she put the phone to hear ear and started calling her eldest brother.

"Pick up, Elijah." She almost pleaded with him but nothing was heard from the other line. She ended the call and searched for Niklaus' number before calling it. There was no resolve…as the brother she had always looked up to wouldn't answer her calls either.

"Something must have happened to them. I have to leave here." She moved to the door but Tristan stopped her. "You cannot leave, my love. No one can leave and no one can enter this compound."

"What? Why the bloody hell not? What has Lucien done exactly?" "He has made this Abattoir safer for us…to complete our plan."

"Safer? Like the way he ruthlessly killed half of The Strix? The people that you and Aurora used to call family? No…there is something else going on here." "There is nothing more to tell outside of what I have just told you." Tristan insisted.

"Why in the bloody name would the wolves help Lucien fulfill his plans? The wolves would never make deals with vampires like him." "That is true. However please…it is meant to be understood that Lucien has offered them a better lifestyle than Niklaus and Elijah would ever offer them."

"Niklaus would have done something. He is part wolf and he would have done it to please Hayley, the mother of his child…"

"And yet he has done nothing, I see." Rebekah remained silent and Tristan sighed, taking her hands in his and kissing them gently.

"You know very well of the past we had shared once, Rebekah and all the torture we had to go through simply because your brothers would never accept our relationship. As a matter of fact, had they ever accepted any relationship you would have had with any man? No, I do not believe they would have. They do not wish your happiness…not as I do and I have expressed it many times before."

"So what the hell do you expect me to do? Live here and do nothing when my brothers are out there as well as my niece and her mother?"

"Had they wanted to be contacted by you or speak to you, they would have called you or at least answered your calls. They have not, have they? Your sister Freya will soon accept the situation. One of the reason as to why I am doing this is for you."

"How exactly is all this madness for me?" "Because I want to be your equal…so you may desire and have a more powerful mate." Rebekah sighed and then whispered, "One thing I can't understand is why you accept what Lucien is doing."

"It is because he is on the right course. We have a plan and we embrace it as partners. And after all we have been through, running from the great Mikael Mikaelson, your father, I believe we are entitled to receiving a little bit of power."

Rebekah looked into his eyes and then asked, "Can I truly be happy with you? Please, just tell me." "If you allow us to go through with this plan and not worry, yes." "And what about Gia?"

Tristan pursed his lips before admitting, "She died, Rebekah. And now her soul is needed. The truth is that the chances that she can be brought back to life are very small. She was a vampire."

Rebekah still couldn't say anything but her heart swooned when Tristan leaned in and kissed her gently. Pulling back, he looked into her eyes and said, "Gia's soul can be used for a better purpose. The energy from the supernaturals she and the other soul will extract for us, will be enough to make us Original Vampires. And then, she will have the peaceful death she has always wanted. I understand she must have meant a lot to your brother, however…she remains in the past."

"Okay…fine. I just want to see Freya and talk to her." Rebekah whispered.

"And so you shall but right now, Lucien is having a very important conversation so it would be rude of us to interrupt, but…I do wish for us to have our own private moment together and worry only about ourselves and how we will move forward…together."

Rebekah continued to look at him in the eyes for a few more moments before smiling, leaning over and kissing his lips gently.

…

"You are going to pay for everything you have done so far once my brothers will come back!" Freya snapped and shook her head as she was seated at a table. She looked over it to see that the candles were lit, the lights were dimmed and the food was warm and looked very delicious, placed in front of her and in front of Lucien, who sat down next to her.

Freya looked over his way to see that he was smiling and not having even the slightest problem with everything that has been happening.

"Lucien…" Freya started saying her name angrily but when he looked into her eyes, she was lost and unsure of what she wanted to say. It was as if a simply look from him would make her heart beat just a little bit faster than usual.

She looked away from him and simply asked, "Why?" "Why what, sweetheart?" He put his hand on the table, over hers and caressed it. Freya was shocked and looked at him with a widening look. She then, pulled away her hand and whispered, "You are making all the wrong choices right now and I can't understand why."

"What cannot you possibly understand? I took over the city because I finally had the power to do so. I am supported by a famous and ancient wolf pack and also, by the very Witch Coven in New Orleans."

"The Witch Coven? Meaning Vincent? I don't believe that." Lucien shrugged and started on his venison. "Ask him. He has done all that I have requested."

"What exactly did you request? Lucien, what happened to you keeping your promise to my brothers about standing by us and not against us?" "I never claimed that I would stand by you but I also never claimed that I would stand by the De Martels."

"You are standing by them now."

"For my own interests and also because I am certain that the moment they would have gone along with the plan and the spell without me being in charge, they would have tried to kill me after Nik's sireline is broken. Now…since I have the power…I will be able to control both Tristan and Aurora, keep myself alive but also free, as my life will no longer depend on your brother's."

Freya smirked. "So you have everything just working perfect for you, don't you?" "I suppose so, however…I must admit that your coldness towards me is something I cannot be comfortable with."

"Well, you're going to have to get used to it if you continue to keep me in here." "Aw, chin up, love! You are not alone. Aside from me, your sister Rebekah has chosen to stay as well." "Rebekah?" Freya asked, shocked and then added, "She would never agree to this."

"She would…because she loves Tristan. And he loves her. She wants him to be an Original and for the moment, she holds a certain hatred for the brothers who abandoned her and as Tristan told me, refuse to take her calls."

"I am not Rebekah and I know Elijah and Niklaus would never abandon their family."

"I never said that they abandoned you. But perhaps they were not comfortable with me ruling in the first place and saw the situation as a danger for Hayley and the child. If that is how they felt, it is best that they left. Now…knowing that they are powerful beings and able to get everything they want and I am certain that they will return soon…I suggest that we have a nice dinner together. I know that you are probably hungry after all that has happened."

Freya continued to stare at him and then she said, "You want something from me, don't you?"

Lucien chewed and then clapped his hands. A woman came inside, dressed elegantly. She took the knife from the table and sliced her wrist to make her blood pour into his cup. Lucien smiled at her and nodded, "Thank you love."

The woman walked away and Lucien drank his blood, before saying, "Well yes…I do need your help." "Don't say it as if I am going to do whatever you want as a favor to you. I will do it because you're going to somehow force me to."

"Freya, I made a promise to the pack of wolves who follow my lead that you are going to help them with a little problem. I do hope that you would look past this incident and do this for them and not necessarily for me, to get me off the hook."

"What exactly do they want? They are not the Crescents. Where did they come from?" "A far away land. What they need is to no longer be forced to suffer the tortures of the fool moon. Can you take care of it?"

"You want me to help them turn whenever they want or not at all." "Precisely. It is for the good of their pack, love. Think about it."

"And I would be helping you pay your debt to them." Lucien continued drinking his blood until Freya stated, "If I am going to do this, I want to ask for something in return." "What do you wish?" "I want your promise." "My promise?" Lucien asked, surprised that she would ask something like this from him.

"Yes…I want your promise that whatever is going to happen in this nightmare…you are not going to let me down and be the cruel and traitorous bastard to destroy my family. We did trust you even if we had no reason to. Niklaus trusted you. I don't think that you betrayed that trust yet…so you have to prove it to me…and I hope you will do it. Please."

Lucien was in shock as Freya stood up from the table and walked out of the room. Lucien demanded more blood from the woman who was offering him, while contemplating about words.

…

They pulled in a gas station outside of town and Klaus immediately stepped out of the car, saying, and "I need to fill up the car. We have a long drive ahead of us."

There was no emotion shown on his face or felt through his voice. He didn't even look at her and it made Hayley feel even more horrible about all that has happened. She sighed and stepped outside of the car, checking over her daughter, before telling him, "I think she needs something to snack on. You'll find me in this store."

As soon as she left, Klaus filled up the tank, checked on his daughter and pulled out his phone, dialing a number.

It started ringing and Elijah immediately picked up.

 _"Brother, where are you? Are you somewhere safe? Are Hayley and my niece safe?"_ Klaus rolled his eyes and stated, "Yes. We are nothing but peachy. Let's just spare the theatrics and figure out our next move. Be warned that I tend to get rid of this phone as soon as we finish our little conversation. Tell me. What have you learned?"

 _"I have Marcel with me and apparently, Vincent is on their side."_ "On their side?" Klaus asked, cocking his head to one side. _"Yes. He has joined forces with Lucien, Tristan and Aurora. It seems that we cannot depend on the Witch Coven."_

"But there is the possibility that we can depend on our sisters. Have you spoken to Freya and Rebekah? Are they in hiding?" _"Niklaus…"_ "What?" Klaus immediately snapped, looking over at the mini store to see that Hayley was still browsing for something.

"Say it again, Elijah! I did not understand you!" he snapped at him.

 _"Niklaus, I tried to get in touch with both Rebekah and Freya but their phones seem to be disconnected for some reason. And above that, no one had seen them leaving the compound. They must be still trapped inside."_

"Because Lucien may want something from her." Klaus concluded. _"Brother, did we make a mistake in trusting Lucien? I have a good mind to take down all of three of them."_

"No. We wait. Lucien is no longer going to resist being dictated around and as soon as his spell works and he becomes an Original, he is most likely going to go after Tristan and Aurora and we will most probably be rid of all of them."

" _If their spell works…Gia's soul would no longer be able to be brought back…"_ Klaus groaned and closed his eyes. _"What's the matter now?"_ "Elijah, we cannot let them go through with that spell. They cannot become Originals regardless of what we discussed." _"And why not?"_

"Because it is not only Gia's life which could be at risk. Hayley has told me that Aurora has informed her…that she is the other soul they need in that pendant."

There was silence between them and Elijah eventually told him, _"We must not panic as of now, Niklaus. Nothing has happened yet and Hayley is safe with you. She cannot be trapped in that pendant unless…"_

"…unless she dies! Yes! That is the bloody answer, Elijah!" he almost yelled out and looked around to see if Hayley was coming.

 _"Then it is your job to keep her protected and safe from harm so that atrocity doesn't happen. Her soul has not been placed in that pendant and I believe that with Freya still in that compound, she may be able to help us more than she would have if she had left."_

"And what makes you so sure of that, Elijah?" _"Because Freya and I discussed the matter. And she told me that she might be able to switch the souls of that pendant."_

"How exactly?" _"I am not certain. All I know is that if she is offered the chance to do her spell, Hayley and Gia would both be safe if…"_ "NO!" Klaus immediately yelled out and then he hissed, "I am not going to let anything happen to Hayley. Nothing is going to happen to Hayley. Do you understand me, brother?"

 _"Very well. Keep your family safe as always, Niklaus and call me again when you have discovered something new or simply to inform me of your new location."_

"You know I cannot do that. The phones may be intercepted. I shall inform you but through other methods."

Hayley stepped outside of the shop with a small smile on her face and Klaus immediately ended the call. "Yes…all set?" he asked her and she placed a cap on his head, right after he had a chance to read what it said.

"Mother trucker. Is that truly your opinion of me, love?" Hayley grinned and then said, "I wanted to lighten the mood and above all, you need to blend in. Act casual and wear stuff that no vampire would think you would wear. No one has to recognize you."

"Yes…very well. I am aware. I best go and compel the shoppers…regarding my tank filled up…" "Don't even bother! I paid for it, okay? You can't go around and compel people because you don't want to pay for some gas."

Klaus pursed his lips and chose not to argue with her which made her raise her eyebrow. "What? No comeback telling me that I am wrong about doing that or…"

Klaus simply looked at her for a few more moments before whispering, "No. I trust you, love." But afterwards, he took off the hat and opened the car door, when Hayley's hand placed itself on the door and she was looking at him with a playful smile on her face.

"Klaus, you need to blend in."

"Yes…that I have understood, love." "Then you need to start by losing the one thousand-dollar jacket." "Why?" "Because I know that this place where we're going…it's somewhere no one is going to expect you would go."

"And where exactly are you planning on taking us, little wolf?" "The place where I grew up until I left for Mystic Falls to find Tyler…before I met you." "The Appalachians, perhaps?" Klaus asked her with a smirk and Hayley nodded.

"You guessed it. The people I grew up with can truly be trusted. I hope they are still there to be found, though." Hayley got in the car after taking care of Hope and Klaus continued to watch her with a smile.

He started the car eventually when she got in the front and looked at him. "Do you want me to drive?"

Sighing, Klaus shook his head and started the engine. "No, love. I simply wish to know…what exactly Aurora told you." "About what?" "You know what!" he said to her in an angrier manner than he normally would and when she looked at his face, Hayley saw for the first time what she wanted to see him show her.

Care. It was pure care. He was worried about her.

But she wanted to test this theory further. "You would care if I died?" she asked and she could see the immediate pain that flashed on his face and biting her lip, she thought that maybe she had made a mistake.

He stopped the car when they had finally reached the place she indicated. Everything was silent. Klaus followed her into the small bar where they met a werewolf, Hollis.

He was tall and very pleased to have Hayley around again. Klaus sat at the counter and watched her make conversation with a werewolf who named her the "champ of tequila shots".

When he finally left, Klaus grabbed himself a drink and whispered, "I'm very impressed, love. You tend to show your true nature when you are among people of your kind. Not at all the pretense you used to pull around my brother."

"I was never pretending. I…" "Right…" Klaus whispered, rolling his eyes and leaving the counter with the bottle of gin in his hand.

He grabbed a hold of Hope's stroller and took her outside where Hayley later on followed. She watched as he was putting her daughter back in the car.

"What are you doing?" she asked and grabbed his arm. Klaus turned to her and looked into her eyes before telling her in a much calmer way, "We are leaving. Say your goodbyes, little wolf."

"I am not saying any goodbyes because this is the place where we have to be. It's the only place with people I can trust, Klaus and if you would let yourself, you would be able to trust them too!"

"Trust? You have no idea of what such a sensible word…" "Yes, I do! Because you are not the only one who had a crappy life, Klaus! But I am not one to whine about it like you do. I deal with it and I move on. I live in the present!"

"AS DO I!" Klaus yelled back at her.

His face was one which showed pure fury this time and he was no longer going to keep himself from lashing out simply because she told him that she was the victim of the De Martel siblings.

She stared into his eyes and whispered, "Do you trust me?" "Of course I do. I do not know how many times I am supposed to express that to you. I have done all that I could for you and for our daughter, little wolf."

"Then if you trust me…trust them. They are my family, Klaus." "I cannot trust people that I cannot call my family. Please get in the car with me."

Hayley didn't move. She remained there with her hands crossed over her chest and looked up at him. "Hollis told me that a girl I used to take care of when she was very little…she triggered her curse. I have to be there for her now. And I am not leaving no matter what you say."

Klaus pursed his lips but then he opened his mouth to say, "If what you have told me is true, about Aurora's confession, you are in grave danger. All the more reason you need my protection. Do not put up a fight against me for this case, little wolf. I beg of you to listen to me."

Klaus' eyes were pleading with her and her heart was melting. She had wanted to see this much care from him for a long time and she didn't receive it…but now…now that she was receiving it, she didn't want it to end.

She wanted to comply but then she remembered Kayla. The little girl needed her too. Without fear, she stepped over to his and squeezed his arm gently. "Then come stay with me as I talk to Kayla. Stay with me tonight…and we can leave tomorrow if you really insist. Please." She was whispering to him.

"Hayley…"

He stopped when she stepped even closer to him and whispered, "Being kind, doesn't make you weak, Klaus."

Almost immediately after, Hayley turned around and started walking back towards the woods. She had missed this place so much and she didn't expect for Klaus to understand how she felt that she was reunited with the people who cared for her even though they were never her blood.

She felt happy and she wanted to stay but she would also not abandon her daughter.

* * *

 **A/N: Hayley is not afraid. She is a true Queen after all and because he knows of how much danger she is in, Klaus will naturally do his best to be there for her and keep her from certain danger because if she dies, her soul will be trapped in that pendant along with Gia, something Lucien, Aurora and Tristan want. What do you think about Frucien? Tristan and Rebekah?**

 **Thank you for reading and please leave me reviews!**


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